The Government of the Philippines (GPH) panel conveyed the President’s request for the re-scheduling of the talks to the MILF peace panel and Malaysian facilitator. The meeting ended with a ‘firm commitment of the two parties to continue the talks in an expeditious manner’. Press statement from the Office of the Presidential Advisor on the Peace Process
KUCHING: The 37th round of peace talks between the Philippines government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which was originally scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur on March 25, has been rescheduled to the second week of April.
According to a press statement from the office of the Presidential Advisor on the Peace Process (OPAPP) made available to The Borneo Post here yesterday, President Benigno Aquino III had requested for the postponement so all parties had more time to review and seek consultation on the draft annexes.
The president explained in the CAAP (Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines) press conference on March 25: “It is important to finish all the annexes, which requires reaching a meeting of the minds on these annexes.
This will, in turn, help in the process of crafting a new organic act so that the final outcome will be a legislation all stakeholders agree to, and (will) rally behind,” said the statement.
It also disclosed that the Philippines’ government Peace Panel Chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer with panel members Senen Bacani and Yasmin Busran-Lao went to Kuala Lumpur to convey the president’s request and to set with their counterparts in the MILF the new date for the formal exploratory talks.
“The Government of the Philippines (GPH) panel conveyed the president’s request for the re-scheduling of the talks to the MILF peace panel and Malaysian facilitator. The meeting ended with a firm commitment of the two parties to continue the talks in an expeditious manner.
“The panels also discussed the composition of the Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT) and the Independent Commission on Policing (ICP), the convening of the Transition Commission in the first week of April 2013, and the Terms of Reference of the Task Force Sajahatra Bangsamoro,” it explained, adding that all parties had agreed with the new date.
The statement also stressed that the Sabah issue should not affect ongoing talks with the MILF.
It hoped that all the parties would continue to seek solutions to the remaining issues in the best possible way, at the soonest possible time.
“The president emphasised that he wants all stakeholders to agree and support the Annexes as these will also serve as basis of the Transition Commission in crafting the Bangsamoro Basic Law,” the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, Philippines Star reported that the Aquino government is now in possession of legal brief on Sabah claim which the Philippines government wants to be subjected to further scrutiny and consultations before making its next move.
A panel led by Department of Justice secretary Leila de Lima is preparing the report which President Aquino was quoted to say “there are 10 volumes with folders of about four to six inches thick of matters that need his attention”. De Lima said she had submitted the legal brief to the president last Friday, but declined to divulge details of the report.
She said her report tackled the strength and weaknesses of the country’s Sabah claim considering the historical and legal perspectives when pressed by reporters on whether the Philippines had a strong case if pursued before an appropriate tribunal and the options in light of the current situation.
She added that Aquino would want to await results of separate reports from the Department of Foreign Affairs and chief presidential legal counsel.
“There are complex matters. We don’t know if the president will refer her (Department of Justice) report to a group of independent experts,” she pointed out.