KUALA LUMPUR: The Philippines government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are in Malaysia as part of ongoing peace negotiations that hope to end years of violence in the southern part of the country. MILF said in a statement released on Sunday that the latest round of talks had ended on a positive note in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, with the Malaysia government acting as mediator. “We have adopted several approaches ranging from plenary, executive and one-on-one panel meetings to technical working groups in our desire to achieve more consensus points," MILF peace panel head Mohagher Iqbal said in comments to media. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said President Benigno Aquino III and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had a “broad strokes" discussion on the peace talks and other matters. In a statement issued Saturday, government peace talks panel chief Marvic Leonen said the negotiations were “definitely moving forward. By next meeting, we hope that we not only move forward but find a quantum leap in our negotiations." “There is some urgency in resolving our issues. Both sides are eager to implement. In the implementation we will discover more challenges in cooperation that could never have been envisioned with all the collective and considered foresights of our negotiating teams," Leonen added. The goal is to help achieve a peace deal that would see MILF put down their weapons and end violent attacks against the government, the military and civilians. A government negotiator told Bikyamasr.com on Monday morning ahead of his departure back to Manila that both sides “were cautiously optimistic that they had set the groundwork for even further talks in the future.” The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, praised Malaysia's efforts to facilitate the talks, adding that “the government here has been more than honest and equitable in the discussions that took place and we believe we are getting solid progress made.” However, Iqbal warned of “various spoilers and pressure groups” and urged both sides to look at and examine their implications in the peace process. However, Iqbal said that while the talks were “tough, serious and exhaustive,” there was also “mutual trust, sincerity and cordiality” to address sensitive issues.
