GRP, MILF to resume peace talks in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 8-9
December 3, 2009 10:44 am
By Ben Cal
MANILA, Dec. 3 -– The Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panels Wednesday night announced the resumption of formal peace talks in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 8-9.
The resumption of formal negotiations was announced in a joint statement signed by Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Rafael E. Seguis and Mohagher Iqbal, peace panel chairmen of the GRP and MILF, respectively.
Both Seguis and Iqbal also announced the formal establishment of the International Contact Group (ICG) for the GRP-MILF peace process.
The ICG is initially composed of the United Kingdom, Japan and Turkey as member countries, The Asia Foundation, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, the Conciliation Resources and the Muhammadiyah as international non-governmental organization (INGO) members.
“The formation of the ICG finally clears the way for the formal resumption of the peace talks,” the joint statement said.
The first organizational meeting of the ICG will be held in Manila on Dec. 4.
Talks between the government and MILF bogged down in August last year following the aborted signing of the controversial Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) which was ruled by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional.
Despite the fighting that flared up between government troops and wayward elements of the MILF in some parts of Central Mindanao after the MOA-AD was not signed, the GRP and MILF continued their back-channeling efforts to resume the stalled peace talks.
Since being named as Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Secretary Annabelle T. Abaya has been working hard for the resumption of formal negotiations with the country’s two main rebel groups – the MILF and the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army/National Democratic Front (CPP/NPA/NDF). (PNA)
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