The Philippine Government said Thursday it had signed a peace pact with separatist Muslim rebels following talks in Kuala Lumpur, despite violations of an earlier ceasefire.
Representatives of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Philippine Government have been holding talks in the Malaysian Capital Kuala Lumpur since Monday to reinforce a truce they signed there in August.
''We have signed the agreement this morning and we will move forward from this by setting up a monitoring body to implement the cessation of hostilities,'' the government's chief negotiator Jesus Dureza told reporters.
The rebels had fought for nearly 30 years for a separate Islamic state on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao before settling for lesser gains in talks brokered first by Libya and later Malaysia.
The chief negotiator for the rebels said there were still several issues on the agenda for discussion on Thursday.
''The Panel today will begin with discussion on development and economic rehabilitation of the area, and the return of ancestral lands to the Muslims,'' said Moro representative Murad Ebrahim.
If those issues were settled a second agreement on the development of Mindanao is likely to be signed in coming days.

Bureau Report