Government chief negotiator Marvic Leonen has expressed optimism that a peace agreement could be forged with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) this year.
Coming out of the 25th Formal Exploratory Talks in Kuala Lumpur, Leonon Wednesday (February 15) said, “the peace process with the MILF has moved forward.”
“Now, we have moved at least a few feet,“ Leonen said. “The day will come, I hope very, very soon that we will be able to sign a peace agreement.”
Both parties reported that the 25th Formal Exploratory Talks have been “difficult.” MILF peace panel chair Mohager Iqbal said that the talks “have been very emotional because it affects the collective future of our people.”
But Leonen emphasized that the challenges are not equal to impossibility. “We always believe that it is always possible to find solutions to a problem, review it, adjust, and later on achieve the kind of peace that is permanent, that is founded on justice for all that are concerned on the ground.”
In a joint statement released after the talks, both parties expressed “satisfaction on the progress of their discussions, and recognizing the many challenges that have yet to be resolved in order to find a political solution to the Bangsamoro Question and the armed conflict in Mindanao.”
“The Parties acknowledge the need to explore creative approaches that will address the political, legal and other dimensions of the problems,” it said.
The next round of formal talks is scheduled in March 2012.
Both parties have renewed for another year the mandate of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), a mechanism of both the government and the MILF that seeks to interdict and isolate lawless elements that take refuge in or near MILF communities.
Likewise, both sides carefully considered reports on the ground of the International Monitoring Team (IMT), which monitors the implementation of the agreement on the cessation of hostilities between the two parties. The IMT is composed of delegations from Malaysia, Brunei, Japan, Libya, European Union, and Norway.
The 25th round of exploratory talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) ended today with both sides expressing satisfaction on the progress of their discussions, and recognizing the many challenges that have yet to be resolved in order to find a political solution to the Bangsamoro Question and the armed conflict in Mindanao.
