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MANILA, Philippines—The formal resumption of the suspended peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is “imminent,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Special Concerns Rafael Seguis said Thursday.
Seguis, who also heads the Philippine peace panel negotiating with the MILF, made this statement after the press briefing with United States State Secretary Hillary Clinton.
He said a final peace agreement is expected before President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo steps down.
Clinton, during the briefing, said she is “encouraged by the ceasefire and the report I received today about the negotiating efforts is very promising.”
“So we will wish the very best to those who are attempting to bring an end to the conflict and to support you in any way that is appropriate,” she said.
The peace negotiations between the two parties abruptly stopped August last year after the Supreme Court stopped the signing of the a memorandum of agreement recognizing the Moros’ right to ancestral domain over some parts of Central Mindanao.
Fire-fighting between the Philippine military and the MILF rebels erupted anew, displacing more than half a million people, a situation that prompted the United Nations, particularly its World Food Programme, the European Union, the Japanese government, and the rest of the international community to ration rice and other food stuff among the affected.
