Manila to Launch Review of Talks With MILF in MindanaoThe Philippine government is scheduled to hold this month a series of consultations in Mindanao to get the public's view over the resumption of government-Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) talks, a radio report said Tuesday.In an interview over Catholic-run radio station DXMS, presidential assistant for southern Mindanao and government chief negotiator for the MILF Jesus Dureza said the Mindanao-wide consultation will kick-off on April 6 in General Santos city. "We can not wait anymore for the peace process to move forward as the people in Mindanao can no longer wait for the resumption of the talks," Dureza emphasized. The upcoming consultations will continue until formal negotiation between the two parties begin, he added. He said issues and concerns tackled on the recent exploratory talks held between government and MILF negotiators in Malaysia is still subject for scrutiny by various sectors in Mindanao. Manila and the MILF agreed last month in informal talks in KualaLumpur, Malaysia to resume formal peace talks, which collapsed after the military launched all-out war against the MILF last July. However, the date and venue of the proposed formal peace talks between the two sides have yet to be designated. The MILF, the biggest rebel group in the Philippines, has been fighting for more than 20 years for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao, one of the resources-rich but economically backward area in the country. |
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