END OF ROUND 39. (L-R) Government peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, Malaysian facilitators' secretariat head Che Kashna, and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal sign the Joint Statement at the end of their four-day exploratory talks in Kuala Lumpur on August 25, 2013.Photo by OPAPP
Will the final peace agreement for the Bangsamoro be signed in September?
As the government and rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) ended the 39th round of peace talks in
MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal told Rappler there was a "big chance" the last two annexes to the comprehensive peace agreement will be signed in the next meeting.
"No documents were signed except for the joint statement [for this round]. There is some window of opportunity," Iqbal said in a text message.
In their joint statement, the parties said:
"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. In the spirit of partnership and mutual understanding, they are confident that an agreement will be reached soon."
Both sides still have to complete the annexes on normalization and power-sharing before the comprehensive peace agreement can be signed.
The documents contain arrangements on how power will be shared between the central government and the envisioned Bangsamoro political entity, as well as details on how the MILF and other armed will be decommissioned and how the Bangsamoro police force will be created.
They will meet again in September.
Independent Commission on Policing could convene next month
'BIG CHANCE.' Government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer (L) shake hands with Moro Islamic Liberation Front chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal (R) during the the closing of the 39th round of talks. Looking on is Che Kashna, head of the Malaysian secretariat. Photo by OPAPP
For this round, technical working groups on the normalization annex flew to
Among the items discussed in this round was who would compose the Independent Commission on Policing, which is tasked to produce recommendations for the creation of a police force for the Bangsamoro.
The 7-member team will be include a local expert, a representative and an international expert from each side, with both parties selecting the chairperson.
According to their joint statement, the commission could be convened during the next meeting.
This round saw an "unprecedented" number of observers from various sectors.
Aside from regular observers from the International Contact Group and civil society, three members of Congress attended the talks as observers. They were Deputy Speaker Pangalian Balindong, Cagayan de Oro Rep Rufus Rodriguez and North Cotabato Rep Jesus Sacdalan.
Members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, the body tasked to craft the Bangsamoro Basic Law, also sat as observers.
READ: Inside story: The deal breaker in GPH-MILF talks
The MILF is a breakaway group of the MNLF. Under the Ramos government, the MNLF signed a peace pact that put an end to their rebellion, but the former rebels are now saying some of the provisions of the agreement have not been fulfilled.
This round of talks were held weeks after bombings in Cagayan de Oro and Cotabato City.
The talks aim to end more than 3 decades of armed struggle in
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.