Chairman of the Philippine government's peace negotiating panel Rafael Seguis, (left) poses for an official photo with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal after a press conference in Kuala Lumpur. -- PHOTO: AP
KUALA LUMPUR - THE Philippine government will aim to seal a peace pact with Muslim separatist rebels to end a decades-long rebellion in the south by March or early April, a Malaysian official said on Wednesday.
Mr Othman Abdul Razak, who is facilitating the peace talks, said the two sides also agreed to revive an international monitoring team of cease-fire observers and expand the panel's scope to include civilian protection.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front has been fighting for Muslim self-rule for decades in Mindanao, the southern homeland of minority Muslims in the largely Roman Catholic Philippines.
Negotiators from both sides began a two-day round of Malaysian-brokered talks on Tuesday at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's main city. The two sides on Monday resumed peace talks at a hotel in Malaysia's largest city. Talks had collapsed 16 months ago.
Negotiations with the rebels fell apart in August last year when the Philippine Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a preliminary accord on an expanded Muslim autonomous region.
A rampage by three rebel commanders upset by the stalled deal sparked months of clashes. The fighting - which killed hundreds and displaced as many as 750,000 people - eased in July, and both sides agreed in September to resume talks. -- AP