RP, MILF rebels resume peace talks

RP, MILF rebels resume peace talks

PHILIPPINES: The Philippine government and the country's largest Moro separatist rebel group resumed informal peace talks on Friday in Malaysia, a guerrilla spokesman said.

Eid Kabalu, spokesman for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said the meetings would focus on the issue of governance in the southern region of Mindanao, where the majority of the country's Muslim minority reside.

"The way I look at it, both parties are sincere in the negotiations," he said. "We expect fruitful results that will help resolve the decades-old problem in Mindanao."

Kabalu added the talks would also touch on ongoing military operations against al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf rebels and Jamaah Islamiyah operatives suspected to be hiding in MILF territories.

In their last meeting in April, the government and the MILF said they agreed on several points regarding the contentious issue of Muslim ancestral land rights in Mindanao. -- DPA