Gov’t, MILF resume formal talks in Malaysia

The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have begun discussions on their respective peace agreement drafts during the first day of the formal talks between the two camps in Malaysia, the head of the government peace panel said Thursday. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, head of the government peace panel, said that the two sides have exchanged their respective drafts and “are in the early stages of discussing each other’s position papers." “The government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the MILF just emerged from a long hiatus from the peace process and both sides are about to start discussions on the substantive issues of the negotiations," he said in a statement issued Thursday. Seguis added that the government’s draft deals with “executive do-ables" and “proposed legislative actions to strengthen regional autonomy." He likewise disclosed that there was “no mention of any Bangsa Moro substate in [the government’s] draft," adding that the government panel’s peace plan “is compliant with the Constitution and pertinent laws," including the Supreme Court decision on the aborted Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD). The government and MILF panels are in Kuala Lumpur for a two-day formal peace talk, the second in two months after a year-long suspension of the negotiations. The government hopes to have a final peace agreement between the two camps before President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ends her term in June 30. - Andreo C. Calonzo/JV, GMANews.TV