Philippine govt, Muslim rebels begin talks hoping to end rebellion

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The Philippine government and the country’s largest Muslim rebel group have begun what they hope will be the final round of talks on ending a decades-long rebellion. Negotiators from Manila and the 11,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front say they hope to iron out differences over the final issues of rebel disarmament and minority Muslim control over resource-rich waters in the negotiations that started Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. [caption id=“attachment_1353375” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Mohagher Iqbal, left, chief negotiator for the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) before the peace talks with Philippine Government Peace Panel at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. AP[/caption] Philippine presidential adviser Teresita Deles says an agreement on those issues will conclude the yearslong talks and lead to the signing of a peace pact. Despite the optimism, both sides warned a peace pact would not immediately end violence in the southern Philippines, where at least three other armed Islamic groups operate. Associated Press