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Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Peace talks between RP, Muslim rebels resume in Malaysia (1:59 p.m.)
KUALA LUMPUR -- The Philippine government and Muslim separatists on Tuesday launched a new round of talks in Malaysia aimed at cementing a peace deal, officials said.
The two sides started formal negotiations Tuesday after wrapping up a technical meeting the previous day at a secret location in Malaysia, a Malaysian government official familiar with the discussions said on condition of anonymity.
Philippine government negotiators and representatives of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were not immediately available to comment on the talks, which are expected to end later Tuesday.
The MILF, which the Philippine military says comprises 11,000 men with over 8,000 firearms, has been fighting for self-rule in the southern Mindanao region for more than two decades. A 2003 ceasefire is in place while peace talks continue. During the last round of talks held in Malaysia in September last year, Manila and the MILF said they had made progress on issues regarding land rights and ownership of resources.
Both sides have expressed optimism that the latest talks might help them overcome long-standing differences and move closer to a peace accord.
"We are hopeful that something will come out on the discussion of the agenda on ancestral domain," Philippine Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Sunday, referring to the thorny issue of minority Muslims' territorial rights in the Philippines' volatile south.
Philippine officials have said a peace agreement could possibly be forged this year.
Some US officials suspect certain MILF members may be collaborating with al-Qaida-linked Indonesian militants to plot attacks and hold terror training in the southern Philippines.
However, Washington has pledged financial support if a peace accord is reached. The US military has provided training and arms to Filipino troops battling a smaller but more violent al-Qaida-linked group, the Abu Sayyaf, which is on a US list of terrorist groups. (AP) |
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