Philippine government and Muslim rebels sign crucial power sharing agreement
Power sharing accord is third of four to be completed before a final peace agreement
The Philippine government and Muslim rebels yesterday signed a crucial power sharing accord, paving the way for a final peace agreement aimed at ending a decades-long insurgency that has killed tens of thousands.
The power sharing annex had been considered as one of the most contentious with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels seeking greater authority over a proposed autonomous region in the south which will cover Muslim-dominated regions of the mainly-Catholic archipelago of 100 million.
A joint statement said negotiators from the government and MILF had signed "the agreement on the delineation and sharing of power between the central government and the Bangsamoro (Filipino Muslim) government" in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The terms of the completed power sharing agreement were not immediately known. The statement added that both parties were now "confident" that they could soon sign the last remaining annex on normalisation and complete the "comprehensive peace agreement" by the coming January.
"The signing of the annex on power sharing ensures the achievement of a genuine and viable autonomy for the Bangsamoro," Teresita Deles, the head of the government peace panel, said.
"It has been a very difficult round but we were able to overcome a lot of obstacles."
The two sides signed an initial pact in October last year on ending the conflict that has claimed an estimated 150,000 lives.
Under the plan, the 12,000-strong MILF would give up its quest for an independent homeland in the southern island of Mindanao in return for significant power and wealth-sharing in a new autonomous region there.
The newly-signed power sharing annex had been one of four preliminary accords that had to be completed before a final peace deal could be signed.
Two other annexes on transitional arrangements and sharing of revenues had already been signed earlier this year while a fourth annex, on normalisation, including the possible disarming of MILF guerrillas, is still being discussed.
