The Philippine government and Muslim rebels have signed a crucial power sharing accord, paving the way for a final peace agreement aimed at ending a decades-long insurgency that has killed tens of thousands.
The power sharing annex had been considered one of the most contentious with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels seeking greater authority over a proposed autonomous region in the south, which will cover Muslim-dominated regions of this mainly-Catholic archipelago of 100 million.
The accord, signed by negotiators from the government and MILF in Kuala Lumpur, is yet another step towards finally ending the bloody insurgency in the southern Philippines.
A joint statement said both sides had signed "the agreement on the delineation and sharing of power between the central government and the Bangsamoro (Filipino Muslim) government" within the projected autonomous area.
The statement added that both parties were now "confident" that they could soon sign the last remaining annex on normalisation and complete the comprehensive peace agreement by January 2014.
"The signing of the Annex on Power Sharing ensures the achievement of a genuine and viable autonomy for the Bangsamoro," Teresita Deles, the head of the government peace panel, said in a statement.
"It has been a very difficult round but we were able to overcome a lot of obstacles."
President Benigno Aquino congratulated both parties on the annex, his spokesman Herminio Coloma said on Sunday.
The exact provisions of the completed power sharing agreement were not immediately known but in an interview with ABS-CBN television, Deles said the accord outlined the terms of devolution and power sharing.
"This is very much at the heart of the entire peace accord," she added.
The two sides in October last year had signed an initial pact on ending the conflict that has claimed an estimated 150,000 lives, in preparation for a final agreement.
Under the plan, the 12,000-strong MILF would give up its quest for an independent homeland in the southern island of Mindanao in return for significant power and wealth-sharing in a new autonomous region there.
