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Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Feb 10, 2011 The Philippines government and the nation's main Islamic separatist group agreed Thursday to push ahead with a faltering peace process after meeting for the first time in two years. The talks in Kuala Lumpur also covered concerns over the emergence of a break-away rebel faction that authorities say could undermine efforts to end one of the world's longest-running insurgencies. The two sides said in a joint statement that they "discussed issues related to" feared rebel commander Ameril Umbrakato's split from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which was announced over the weekend. In their first round of talks since Philippines president Benigno Aquino came to power last year, they agreed to renew the mandate of the international monitoring team in the troubled southern region for another 12 months. They also exchanged drafts on their positions and agreed to meet again, possibly on March 29 and 30, in an indication that the process has been successfully revived. Chief Philippines negotiator Marvic Leonen said this week that during the talks in the Malaysian capital he would seek clarification from the MILF over Umbrakato's departure from the 12,000-strong group. "If true, the existence of a separate armed group that splinters from the MILF will endanger our ceasefire mechanism, and make our civilian populations insecure and vulnerable," he warned. "Also, the separate existence of another armed group... may significantly put into question the ability of the current leadership of the MILF to deliver on any commitment that is negotiated with the government." The MILF has been fighting for an independent Muslim homeland on the southern island of Mindanao since the 1970s. The conflict has claimed 150,000 lives, according to the government. Umbrakato, who quit the rebel organisation seven months ago, taking at least a thousand fighters with him, is one of two MILF senior commanders who launched deadly attacks across mostly Christian communities on Mindanao in 2008. The attacks were in retaliation for a Supreme Court decision outlawing a proposed land deal that would have given the rebels control over what they claim as ancestral lands on Mindanao. The attacks, which forced the suspension of the peace process until now, left nearly 400 dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. Both sides agreed to a new ceasefire in 2009, allowing most of the evacuees to return home. Aquino assumed power last year, promising to bring an end to the insurgency during his six-year term.
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