PHILIPPINES GOV'T, MOROS PLAN PEACE TALKS IN MALAYSIA

MANILA -  The Philippines government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) plan to hold peace talks in Malaysia on October 2-5 to iron out difficult aspects of a proposed political settlement, but representatives of both parties said they have already reached a “peace deal”, sources said.

“Some aspects of the proposed agreement will be discussed and clarified further in Kuala Lumpur from October 2 to 5 to avoid misunderstanding in the future,” said a MILF source.

Both the Philippines government and the MILF have “already agreed in principle” to identify the proposed new autonomous region for Filipino Muslims in the south as the New Autonomous Political Entity (NPE), and not as Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (or BJE), the term used during negotiations during the time of former President Gloria Arroyo, explained Teresita Quinto Deles, head of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

Deles did not say if the proposed agreement has stated that NPE would also be an expanded Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), whose members in the south include five provinces and one city.

She did not clarify if the proposed NPE would include the cherished enhanced self governance of Filipino-Muslims in their autonomous region, including power and economic sharing between NPE and the national government.

Despite broad statements coming from government and MILF negotiators regarding these contentious issues, their actions speak louder than their proposed agreement, said political analysts.

MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal and two members of the MILF peace panel, Atty. Datu Michael Mastura and Abdulla Camlian, and Jun Mantawil, secretly attended for the first time a peace forum in Manila.

Source: Gulfnews...More..