PHL peace talks with MILF enters key phase on Jan. 9
Agence France Presse, www.gmanetwork.com
January 8, 2012

 The “substantive” phase of peace talks with Muslim rebels aimed at ending a long-running insurgency in the country’s troubled south.is set to begin on Monday in Kuala Lumpur, according to Secretary Teresita Deles, the presidential adviser on the peace process.

“The peace panel is currently preparing for the next round of formal talks with the MILF,” Deles said in a statement.

“As both parties are expected to delve into the substantive aspects of the negotiations, I continue to positively hope that the panels complete their tasks and come up with a framework for a political settlement in the soonest possible time,” she said.

She did not say how long the next round of talks would last, but previous closed-door negotiations typically lasted three days.

The 12,000-strong MILF has waged a rebellion since the the 1970s, and the conflict has claimed up to 150,000 lives.

Peace talks have been going on for about a decade, but have been frequently bogged down by deadly clashes with both sides accusing each other of violating a ceasefire.

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