Peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will resume on Aug. 22 in Malaysia, officials announced on Tuesday.
"There is a broad support for the President's affirmation of the prime importance of preserving the ceasefire and advancing the peace process, which resumes on Aug. 22 in Malaysia," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye told reporters after the meeting of the National Security Council presided by President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo in presidential palace.
President Arroyo said that while government troops go on the offensive against Abu Sayyaf extremists in Sulu province, peace initiatives with the MILF should continue, according to Bunye.
Armed Forces chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said one of the issues to be discussed is the demand of the MILF for ancestral domain, an issue that caused the talks to stall.
The resumption of the talks, which was suspended one and a half years ago, was threatened by the July 10 MILF ambush of the Marines, in which 14 soldiers were killed.
While the secessionist group acknowledged attacking the soldiers, who the MILF accused of encroaching on its territory without coordination in violation of a ceasefire.
Source: Xinhua
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