Philippine President Benigno Aquino met the leader of the country’s largest Muslim separatist rebel group at a Tokyo hotel, hoping to give a boost to peace talks, the government and the rebel group said on Friday. Aquino met al haj Murad Ebrahim of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for two hours at a hotel near Narita airport on Thursday evening. They were joined by the heads of the negotiating teams.
“The meeting was cordial but consisted of a frank and candid exchange of their views about the frames of the continuing peace talks and some possible approaches that the parties can take to bring about a peaceful settlement,” Marvic Leonen, head of the government’s negotiating panel told a news conference in Manila. “Both agreed the implementation of any agreement should happen within the current administration. Both agreed to fast track the negotiations.”