Next GPH-MILF talks set for July 8

MANILA, Philippines – Peace talks between the Philippine government and Muslim rebels will resume on July 8 in Kuala Lumpur with the contentious issue of wealth-sharing as the main focus of discussion, a leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said Friday, June 28.

The talks will be held even though they coincide with the Muslim month of Ramadan which may require fasting by Muslim participants, said Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF’s vice-chairman for political affairs.

“Because it is so important, both parties decided to hold the talks even on Ramadan,” he told AFP.

The talks will likely last for 5 days, he added.

Government negotiators could not be contacted for comment. However, earlier this month, members of the government peace panel said they hoped to resume talks with the MILF in early July.

Both panels will attempt to break the deadlock over contentious issues on wealth-sharing and power-sharing when they return to the negotiating table.  

In October, the two sides signed the Framework Agreement which set the stage for the creation of the new Bangsamoro political entity. It is envisioned to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

2016 deadline

The MILF wants to finish the peace process by 2016 before President Benigno Aquino III steps down from office. 

However, only one out of the 4 annexes needed to complete the comprehensive peace pact has so far been signed the annex on transitional arrangements and modalities. Yet to be completed are the annexes on wealth-sharing, power-sharing and normalization, which contains other contentious issues such as policing and decommissioning. 

To make up for lost time following the stalled talks, the Transition Commission — the team tasked to draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law — has started working on the logistical requirements of the organization. 

The 12,000-member MILF has waged a guerrilla war for a separate Islamic state in Mindanao since the 1970s that has claimed an estimated 150,000 lives.

The group has since agreed to a ceasefire and to negotiate for autonomy instead. Although sporadic clashes have since taken place, the truce has largely held.

Malaysia has hosted the on-again, off-again peace talks between the government and the MILF since 2001. It has also deployed troops to head an international peace mission monitoring a truce between the opposing sides. – Rappler.com