Malaysia to continue assisting Philippine peace talks

The Malaysian government will continue to assist the Philippine government in its peace talks with secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a senior MILF official said on Wednesday.

Following a meeting held on Tuesday between Malaysian Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Bin Hamidi and MILF chairman Al Haj Murad in southern Mindanao, MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said that Kuala Lumpur has stressed Malaysia's willingness to assist in the peace talks.

Malaysia's intention is only to be of help to both parties' common desire to resolve the conflict and Zahid expressed confidence that the government of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III is very serious and determined to continue the negotiations with the MILF.

"We cannot start from scratch otherwise we cannot finish anything with the negotiation," MILF chairman said in the meeting.

In 2008, peace talks between the Philippine government and the MILF collapsed due to aborted signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain. The MILF has been fighting government troops for decades to establish a self-rule Muslim state in the south of the predominantly Catholic country.

Source: Xinhua