Philippine Govt to Begin Talks With Muslim Rebels in AprilThe Philippine government will start peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) next month,Presidential Adviser on the peace process Eduardo Ermita said Thursday.Ermita also confirmed that Manila and Kuala Lumpur will be alternating venues, the ABS-CBN news channel reported. Ermita said Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir has offered to facilitate the negotiations. He added that the government's panel and technical committee were all set to begin work and were just waiting for the MILF to reconstitute its panel. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Wednesday revealed that an agreement has been signed by Ermita and Al Hadj Murad Ebrahim,MILF vice chair of military affairs, in Kuala Lumpur on March 24. According to the agreement, the talks between the Philippine government and the MILF will be resumed in three months in a "mutually agreed venue." The agreement will lead to the MILF's suspension of offensive military operations against government and the organization of its own peace panel. |
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