Government-MILF talks resume in KL

MANILA, Philippines - The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are resuming their exploratory talks today in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The government’s chief peace negotiator, Marvic Leonen, yesterday said they would raise their “serious concern” during the two-day talks about MILF commander Ameril Umbra Kato who broke away from the secessionist group and formed his own armed unit.

Leonen said the MILF considers Kato’s faction as an internal problem and that it is exerting efforts to resolve it.

“We also intend to clarify some points from the MILF’s draft comprehensive compact, which contains its standing position on substantive issues,” he said.

Leonen said the government panel accepted the draft comprehensive compact submitted by the MILF during their Feb. 9-10 talks not as a working draft for the negotiations but a paper subject to clarifications.

“We have been consulting various sectors in an endeavor to be transparent and accountable to the proposals that we are giving on the negotiating table,” Leonen said.

The government peace panel recently conducted consultations with local officials in Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat.

To date, it has conducted a total of 21 consultation meetings across Mindanao.

In another development, the MILF has re-enlisted human rights lawyer Abdul Dataya to lead its anti-crime Ad Hoc Joint Action Group as part of its agreement with the government on the “joint interdiction” of criminals in areas covered by the ceasefire.

Dataya’s government counterpart is Army Brig. Gen. Allan Luga.

Muhaquer Iqbal, chairman of the MILF peace panel, said Dataya, an ethnic Ma­guindanaon, will closely coordinate with Luga and the joint ceasefire committee in addressing peace and order issues in the South.

The government and MILF panels agreed to reactivate the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group during their last meeting in Kuala Lumpur as an anti-crime mechanism that would function under the direct supervision of the joint ceasefire committee.             – With John Unson