The 40th Round of Exploratory Talks between the negotiating panels of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Philippine (MILF) concluded late afternoon of September 20, 2013, with the two parties still hopeful that their hard work and commitment to peace shall come to fruition soon.
The 10-day talks, held in Kuala Lumpur, with Malaysian facilitation, was the longest to date, as the parties and the facilitator had hoped that one or both of the last two Annexes would be signed.
The negotiations, which started one day after the Zamboanga siege on September 9, 2013, had some very difficult discussions on the matters of decommissioning, transitional justice, and the details of the “architecture” for the “normalization process”, as envisioned to be captured in the Annex on Normalization. There were also very hard issues discussed on the competencies of the Central Government and those of the Bangsamoro Government, as the parties tried to conclude the Annex on Power-Sharing.
The parties had discussed through their respective technical working groups the two Annexes. They likewise had extensive plenary deliberations, and in some instances, tried to set up “special teams” for specific issues. But even with strong desire and commitment to finish the process, no Annex was signed at the end of the negotiations. There were just too many issues, many of which were extremely difficult, with the different perspectives of the two parties not finding any “bridges of compromise”.
The negotiations also coincided with the siege in Zamboaga City. On the 2nd day of the talks, the parties even came out with their joint statement condemning the violence that civilians have had to suffer therein. Parties continued to monitor the situation with regular updates that each party was able to get from their respective contacts from the ground.
While the parties were negotiating, the Independent Commission on Policing (ICP) was convened under the leadership of Randal J. Beck, Assistant Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Under the Framework Agreement, the ICP is supposed to “recommend appropriate policing” in the Bangsamoro. Its recommendations shall be submitted to the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) for the latter’s consideration when it drafts the Bangsamoro Basic Law.
Two members of civil society organizations, Mahdie Amella and Analize Ugay, attended the talks as observers. The Community of Saint'Egidio, an Italian Catholic organization, was likewise welcomed as a new member of the International Contact Group (ICG).
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/567-gov’t-milf-end-peace-talks-with-high-hopes-to-conclude-agreement-soon
The negotiations, which started one day after the Zamboanga siege on September 9, 2013, had some very difficult discussions on the matters of decommissioning, transitional justice, and the details of the “architecture” for the “normalization process”, as envisioned to be captured in the Annex on Normalization. There were also very hard issues discussed on the competencies of the Central Government and those of the Bangsamoro Government, as the parties tried to conclude the Annex on Power-Sharing.
The parties had discussed through their respective technical working groups the two Annexes. They likewise had extensive plenary deliberations, and in some instances, tried to set up “special teams” for specific issues. But even with strong desire and commitment to finish the process, no Annex was signed at the end of the negotiations. There were just too many issues, many of which were extremely difficult, with the different perspectives of the two parties not finding any “bridges of compromise”.
The negotiations also coincided with the siege in Zamboaga City. On the 2nd day of the talks, the parties even came out with their joint statement condemning the violence that civilians have had to suffer therein. Parties continued to monitor the situation with regular updates that each party was able to get from their respective contacts from the ground.
While the parties were negotiating, the Independent Commission on Policing (ICP) was convened under the leadership of Randal J. Beck, Assistant Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Under the Framework Agreement, the ICP is supposed to “recommend appropriate policing” in the Bangsamoro. Its recommendations shall be submitted to the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) for the latter’s consideration when it drafts the Bangsamoro Basic Law.
Two members of civil society organizations, Mahdie Amella and Analize Ugay, attended the talks as observers. The Community of Saint'Egidio, an Italian Catholic organization, was likewise welcomed as a new member of the International Contact Group (ICG).
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/567-gov’t-milf-end-peace-talks-with-high-hopes-to-conclude-agreement-soon
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