The chairman of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) peace panel negotiating with the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said Friday that both sides are set to start discussions on the substantive issues of the negotiations in efforts of forging a lasting peace agreement.

According to Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael E. Seguis who is also the chairman of the GRP peace panel negotiating with the MILF in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the two panels just emerged from a long hiatus from the peace process and had already exchange their respective drafts containing each others position papers.

But Seguis clarified that there is still no agreement yet and both sides are still in the early stages of discussions. He added that the GRP draft is compliant with the Constitution and pertinent laws and is also guided by the Supreme Court decision on the aborted Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MoA-AD).

“There is no mention of any ‘Bangsa Moro’ sub-state in our draft,” Seguis said. “The GRP draft is clear that discussions that will concern legislative and other policy actions will still be proposals which would be submitted to Congress.”

Peace talks between the government and the MILF resumed in Kuala Lumpur last December 8-9, 2009 after the formal establishment of the International Contact Group (ICG) for the peace process.

The two-day negotiations discussed the reactivation of the International Monitoring Team (IMT), the establishment of the Ad Hoc Joint Civilian Component of the IMT, and the renewal of the guidelines of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) whose task is to coordinate the interdiction and isolation of criminal and lawless elements operating near or within the MILF communities.