GPH, MILF achieve ‘substantial progress’ in power sharing, normalization annexes

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 25): GPH, MILF achieve ‘substantial progress’ in power sharing, normalization annexes

 The Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Sunday ended the 39th round of formal exploratory talks on a positive note, resolving several issues on the two remaining annexes on power sharing and normalization.

In a joint statement, the parties said they have achieved “substantial progress in the discussions towards finalizing the Annexes on Power Sharing and Normalization to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB).”

“During the four-day meeting, the Parties worked towards the resolution of some of the most crucial issues. Despite the sensitivity of these issues, the Parties remain committed to the problem-solving approach in order to reach consensus,” they stated.

“In the spirit of partnership and mutual understanding, they are confident that an agreement will be reached soon. They agreed to meet again in September 2013.”

The parties also discussed the composition of the Independent Commission on Policing (ICP) and the possibility of convening it in the next round of formal talks. The ICP will be tasked to submit recommendations to the peace panels on the appropriate form, structures and relationships of the police force for the envisioned Bangsamoro region that will replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

GPH peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer described this round of talks as difficult to conclude since the agenda covered two annexes.

“We knew that negotiating on the power sharing annex will be as hard as that on the wealth sharing annex so we feel relieved having come to better understanding on the principles of intergovernmental relations,” she said. "Because we have settled fiscal matters in the Wealthsharing Annex, it was easier for us to agree on related items in the Powersharing Annex."

On the normalization annex, Coronel-Ferrer related that the parties are now working on finalizing the text. “We discussed the texts on the table in order to consolidate consensus, and clarify and reconcile the contending positions,” she added.

The GPH and the MILF peace panels already signed two of the four annexes, which are the Annex on Transitional Arrangements and Modalities, and Annex on Revenue Generation and Wealth Sharing. Together with the FAB, the annexes will form part of the Comprehensive Agreement which both parties hope to sign within the year.

Coronel-Ferrer also reiterated the government’s commitment to “ensure a viable and genuine autonomy for the Bangsamoro region.”

In their statement, the panels welcomed the attendance of observers from Congress, the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), and civil society. They also said that the meeting “provided an opportunity for an informal discussion between the members of Congress and the BTC.”

The parties also thanked President Benigno Aquino III “for his commitment to a just and lasting peace in Mindanao” and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak “for his continued support in the facilitation of the GPH-MILF Peace Talks.” They likewise conveyed their gratitude to the members of the International Contact Group (ICG), namely the governments of Japan, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Republic of Turkey, and the United Kingdom; and to the international non-government organizations namely the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Conciliation Resources, and Muhammadiyah. The ICG is mandated to exert proper leverage and sustain the interest of the parties in the negotiations.

Malaysian third-party facilitator Tengku Datu Abdul Ghafar Tengku bin Mohamed, who was not able to attend the closing ceremony due to an illness, was represented by Che Kashna, head of the Malaysian secretariat.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=558605