Philippine gov't, Muslim rebels meet in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Philippine government and Muslim rebel negotiators held two days of talks in Malaysia _ their first official contact in a year _ but found no immediate solution to an impasse over a planned autonomy deal, the two sides said Wednesday.

The talks, which ended Wednesday, were to prepare for a resumption of formal peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has been fighting for Muslim self-rule in the mostly Roman Catholic Philippines for 40 years.

The meeting "ended on a high note with both sides expressing a common desire to restore trust and confidence in addressing major issues," a joint statement said. The two sides reportedly met in the city of Kuala Lumpur but the venue was not disclosed.

Peace talks brokered by Malaysia broke down last August when the Philippine government accused the rebels of attacking Christian villages after the Supreme Court threw out a preliminary deal on expanding Muslim autonomy in the southern Philippines, saying it was unconstitutional.

The deal had run into opposition from Christian politicians who feared losing land and power, and they asked the high court to block it, provoking disgruntled Muslim rebel commanders to go on deadly rampage through several coastal communities.

There have been deadly clashes between government forces and the 11,000-strong rebel group in the year since then which have displaced more than 300,000 villagers.

The government called a truce last week.

The statement Wednesday did not say how they would tackle the legal complications in their dispute on autonomy, but said both sides were committed to "reframe the consensus points" to reach a negotiated solution.

The Malaysian facilitator of the talks, Othman Abdul Razak, said they would try to meet again in early August to finalize details for the formal negotiations, which aren't expected to begin until after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan ends in mid-September.