The Philippine government on Monday said it may agree to hold peace talks abroad with the country's largest Muslim insurgent group, reported (AFP)
Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado said behind the scenes moves between government peace negotiators and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have been continuing and were expected to "bear fruit very soon."
Mercado, speaking after a meeting at the presidential palace, said Manila was ready to give in to "certain demands" by the MILF as long as the rebel group also agrees to meet them halfway.
Monday's meeting looked "promising," Mercado said, adding "there is a possibility that the venue would be held in a third party place in a neutral ground outside" the Philippines.
"The government has been willing to accede to certain things. We hope that the MILF would also accede to certain things then we can move forward," Mercado told reporters.
Asked when the talks would resume, he said: "It may happen sooner than we think."
The 15,000-strong MILF is the country's main Muslim insurgent group fighting for an independent Islamic state in the south. It pulled out from peace talks early this year when government troops overran its territories in a major offensive in July.
Mercado's statement coincided with the visit of a 22-member delegation of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), which on Monday began a week-long probe into the plight of minority Muslims in the south.
The OIC mission is also to look into the implementation of a peace pact it brokered between Manila and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), formerly the main Muslim rebel force from which the MILF split in 1978.
The MILF said it was willing to return to the negotiating table if the OIC officially intervened and if Manila agrees to hold the talks in a neutral country abroad.
Peace talks between the MILF and the government collapsed earlier this year after the military launched a major offensive that led to the capture of key MILF bases – MANILA (AFP)
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