MILF: Peace talks likely to resume by end-Sept

Peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front might resume end-September to early October at the earliest. MILF peace panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal said Tuesday this may be due to Malaysia's weeklong celebration of Eid’l Fitr that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. “Definitely we cannot resume peace talks during Ramadan, so it will have to be after Ramadan. And if Malaysia is to facilitate the talks, it may take at least one week to celebrate Eid’l Fitr after Ramadan. So the resumption will likely take place end of September or early October," Iqbal said in Filipino in an interview on dwIZ radio. "The decision to meet must come from the two parties with the consensus of the facilitating country," he added. He said that depending on the lunar calendar, Ramadan is expected to end between September 10 and 12. On the other hand, he said the MILF is ready to compose its new peace panel, saying there is now a short list of candidates for members. "We can come up with our own panel as soon as the government completes its panel," he said. Iqbal would not say if he will still be in the new panel. The MILF had deactivated its peace panel. The government and the MILF started peace talks in 1997 but the negotiations hit a stumbling block in 2008 when the Supreme Court thumbed down a memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD). MOA-AD’s failure triggered a series of attacks by rogue MILF units, leading to clashes with government troops. On the other hand, Iqbal declined to assess the chances of a peace agreement before the end of the Aquino administration. "It is hard to tell ano mangyayari, ang presidente di nagde-decide alone, titimbangin natin ang nakapaligid sa kanya (It is hard to tell what’s going to happen. The president does not decide alone. A lot also depends on the people around him)," he said. — LBG, GMANews.TV