GPH-MILF talks ‘still upward struggle’ – Iqbal

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Will the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front manage to arrive at a deal on wealth sharing in this round of talks?

On the 2nd to the last day of their talks here, MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal told Rappler both sides are still struggling to arrive at a compromise on how the national government and the envisioned Bangsamoro political entity would share wealth from the country’s natural resources.

“There are settled issues, there are unsettled issues,” he said Wednesday, July 10. “For most issues, there have been suggestions from both sides but overall it’s still an upward struggle.” 

Iqbal refused to elaborate. Protocol prevents both parties from disclosing details of the talks while negotiations are going on. 

Delegations from the government and the MILF flew here for this round of talks hoping to sign the annex on wealth sharing – one of the 4 annexes that will complement the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro before the final peace pact can be signed. 

The closed-door discussions were described as “tense,” “rigorous” and at times emotional, but still “very congenial.” On Tuesday, for example, Iqbal said the panels were only able to discuss 5 out of the “many” remaining issues. 

READ: Gov’t MILF hope for breakthrough

READ: MILF on stalled talks: ‘Frustrated, angry’

It’s Day 3 of the talks and the panels only have one more day left for this round. There’s pressure from both sides to finish at least one annex this week amid growing frustration on the ground and increased violence in parts of Mindanao, perpetuated by the so-called “spoilers” of the peace process.  

The race against time got even more constricted Wednesday as the panels cut the last two days of session to half because of Ramadan. 

Despite the time constraints, Iqbal said they are not about to fall into the trap of just signing anything on the table. 

“We are in a hurry but we are still cautious,” he says. “We will not just agree to anything because this is about us,” Iqbal said. “This is about our life.” 

Government peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer called for a meeting with the entire government team after Wednesday’s talks.

Earlier, Ferrer said the government panel came prepared for the rigors required for this phase of the negotiations.

“We were very conscious that this is a problem-solving session. The discussion on this round of talks will be focused on issues that have long been discussed and have not found any solution,” she said. 

An initial wealth-sharing annex was drafted as early as February. But the parties arrived at an apparent deadlock when they failed to sign anything in the last two meetings in March and April after the government asked for more time to conduct due dilligence on the document’s contents.

As both sides gear up for the last day of the 38th round of talks, is there still a chance of a breakthrough?

Before the 3rd day of the talks started Wednesday, Iqbal said there was a “realm of hope.” After the session, he said: “There’s always the possibility.” – Rappler.com