By Hader Glang
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines
A special meeting between members of the Philippines government and a one-time rebel group over a draft law for a proposed autonomous political entity – known as Bangsamoro - concluded on a positive note Friday in Malaysia.
The delegations had convened for four days under Malaysian mediation to discuss the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which is based on the provisions of a deal signed by the Philippines government and former rebel outfit the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) last March.
The deal brought to a close 17-years of negotiations and ended a decades-old armed conflict in the southern area of Mindanao while granting Muslim areas greater political autonomy.
In a joint press statement emailed to the Anadolu Agency on Friday, the Philippines’ Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process said they recognize the importance of these discussions in ensuring that the draft law would be submitted to Congress in the shortest possible time.
The negotiating panels said they had achieved modest progress and resolved to continue working together for a mutually acceptable draft law.
According to the statement, the meeting was held after the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) - the agency mandated to draft the BBL - called for negotiations to clarify and resolve outstanding issues. "Members of the BTC, as well as the International Contact Group, were present to observe the discussions,” it added.
The MILF had recently expressed concern over delays in the law's passage, as well as over revisions to the draft by the Office of the President.
The Bangsamoro Region – which will supplant the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao once the law is passed and ratified - is expected to be in place before the 2016 presidential elections.
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