MILF Presents Written Preconditions for Peace TalksThe Philippine rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), on Thursday sent a letter with three preconditions for the resumption of peace talks with the government.In the letter sent to Jesus Dureza, chairman of the government peace negotiating panel, MILF chairman Salamat Hashim wanted the government to first outline its process on how to go about the previous agreements between the MILF and previous administrations, including the terms of a previous cease-fire accord. Secondly, the MILF leader stressed the need to have a third- party mediator, and the final precondition is about where the peace talks will be held. The rebels have earlier said they will renew talks if they are held in a neutral country and mediated by the Organization of Islamic Conference. Dureza said they still need to discuss these concerns with the MILF panel before giving the government's stand. The 13,000-strong MILF has been fighting for more than two decades for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao in southern Philippines. Peace talks between the government and the MILF collapsed after the military captured the MILF headquarters, Camp Abubakar, in Mindanao last July following the rebels' failure to meet a deadline set by former President Joseph Estrada to sign a peace deal with the government. |
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