Aquino, Muslim rebel leader meet on peace process

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - President Benigno Aquino III and Muslim rebel leader Al Haj Murad Ebrahim have met for the second time in Japan and discussed on the peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a senior government official disclosed today.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a news briefing in Malacanang, the presidential palace, that the meeting between Aquino and Murad took place during the one-day trip of the president in Japan when he addressed a peace conference in Hiroshima on Tuesday.

"The President and MILF Chairman Murad met in Hiroshima the other day. It was a one-on-one meeting with no Cabinet members present," he said.

"As in their previous meetings, it is reasonable to infer that they discussed the progress of the peace process and how this may be brought to full fruition in accordance with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB)," Coloma added.

The CAB signed by the Philippine government and the MILF, the largest Muslim rebel group in the country, on March 27 aims to establish a Bangsamoro government that will replace the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao by 2016.

Aquino and Murad had their first clandestine meeting in Japan in August 2011.