Manila: President Benigno Aquino said that the Philippine government will resume peace talks with a separatist Muslim group, but called for a ceasefire with communist rebel as a condition for the resumption of talks that were stalled since 2004.
"Peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front [MILF] will start after the end of Ramadan," said Aquino during his State of the Nation Address at Batasan in suburban Quezon City.
It will be led by the government's chief negotiator, lawyer Marivic Leonen who is also dean of the College of Law at the top university in the Philippines.
Hinting at the government's approach in holding peace talks with the MILF, Aquino said: "It [the government's position] will no longer change. Everybody will be affected if we all reach a political settlement."
Sources said the government will "approach a creative way" of granting wider area and enhanced autonomy for Filipino-Muslims in the south.
Last August 2009, the Supreme Court said it is unconstitutional for the executive level to sign an agreement to expand the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). This prompted three renegade MILF commanders to attack civilian communities which resulted in the displacement of 700,000 residents in the south.
"We will not commit the same mistake," said Aquino.
Malaysia, a member of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) has been brokering the talks which began in 1997. Meanwhile, Aquino asked the communist National Democratic Front (NDF) to persuade the 40-year old Communist Party of the Philippines and its military arm, the New People's Army (NPA) to agree to a ceasefire agreement before they continue holding peace talks.
"It is hard to begin [our peace talks] while the smell of gunpowder is still fresh in the air," said Aquino, adding, "We are ready for a ceasefire for the sake of peace."
Since the Philippine government and the NDF started holding peace talks in 1992, they have never forged a ceasefire agreement.
