MILF: Talks to resume as scheduled

DAVAO CITY, Philippines-The Moro Islamic Liberation Front peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal said the talks between the rebel group and the government will resume late March despite the ongoing tension in Sabah.

“As far as we are concerned, the peace talks will proceed as scheduled before the end of this month,” Iqbal said.

Iqbal maintained that the hostilities in Sabah would not derail the peace negotiations, adding that the Sabah standoff and the peace negotiations were unrelated.

“Why do we have to complicate the issue, that’s another issue,” Iqbal said. 

Supporting the “no comment policy” of the MILF on the Sabah standoff, Iqbal said the issue is so sensitive that the Moro rebel group decided to keep mum on the issue.

Malaysia stands as the third-party facilitator to the peace negotiations with the talks being done in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was also present during the historic signing of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro in Manila last October 15.

The scheduled talks in Kuala Lumpur this month would continue discussions on power sharing, wealth sharing and normalization. 

More than 1,500 Filipinos have already fled troubled Sabah and returned to the country. The refugees were reported to be from the areas of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Central Mindanao. – Rappler.com