MANILA: Peace talks between the Philippine government and Muslim separatist rebels have hit a deadlock over which territories in the country’s southern region would be identified as ancestral domain, a guerrilla spokesman said yesterday.

While the two sides have agreed on such points as sharing resources and establishing governance in a prospective Bangsamoro Juridical Entity, they failed to reach a consensus on the territories to be covered during a recent three-day meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

“Apparently, they did not resolve the issue on territory, particularly in the determination and delineation of areas to be placed under the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity,” said Eid Kabalu, a spokesman for Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Kabalu said it was the second time the two sides failed to reach an agreement on which areas in the southern region of Mindanao would be declared Muslim ancestral domain.

“Both parties still need data that will guide in resolving some remaining issues, especially the territory,” he added.

In a joint statement released at the end of a three-day meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, government and rebel negotiators said “more work had to be done on the strand of territory.” “The panels achieved significant progress in defining the concept, sharing the resources and establishing governance but were held back from reaching full consensus by the highly technical nature of discussions on the delineation and demarcation of territory,” it said.

Muslim ancestral land rights in the mineral-rich but underdeveloped region of Mindanao has been a key contentious issue in the peace talks between the Philippine government and the MILF.

The 12,000-strong MILF has in the past claimed that the entire Mindanao is the ancestral domain of the country’s Muslim minority and should be governed separately from the rest of the Philippines.

During the meeting in Kuala Lumpur, the negotiating teams also agreed to extend for one year the stay in Mindanao of a Malaysian-led international team that monitors the implementation of a ceasefire agreement between the two sides.

“Both sides likewise agreed to expand the composition of the (international monitoring team) to include the participation of other nations in monitoring the rehabilitation and development work related to the peace process,” the joint statement said.

Aside from Malaysia, the monitoring team is composed of personnel from Brunei and Libya. The team has been in the strife-torn region of Mindanao since 2004.

The MILF has been fighting for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao since 1978. - DPA