By Lilybeth G. Ison
Members of the Philippine government peace panel are set to leave for Kuala Lumpur this week to attend the 20th exploratory talks with representatives of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Government chief negotiator Marvic Leonen, at a press conference on Monday at the University of the Philippines, said his panel will attend the two-day peace talks in Kuala Lumpur between the Philippine government and MILF.
The peace talks hosted by the Malaysian government will start on Wednesday.
"We leave for Kuala Lumpur very soon to attend the 20th exploratory talks with the representatives of the MILF," Leonen told the media in an interview.
He said the agenda for the meeting include the extension of the mandate of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG).
The IMT, together with the two Coordinating Committees on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCHs) -- the local monitoring groups and the civilian protection components -- form the infrastructure for maintaining the ceasefire between the two groups.
On the other hand, the AHJAG is the mechanism to interdict criminal elements that stray into areas where MILF forces are dominant. This includes kidnapping and terrorist groups.
Leonen said the government panel is also keen on reviving another mechanism -- the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI) -- as proposed by the MILF in past negotiations.
Through this mechanism, he said, young Moro leaders may further be trained to lead and manage in the future.
Leonen said government negotiators would also use the meeting to seek clarification from the MILF over an announcement it made over the weekend that one of its key commanders, Ameril Umbra Kato, had split from the 12,000-strong group. - pna
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