The announcement comes after 15 years of negotiations between the government and the rebels . UK foreign secretary : ` ` I wholeheartedly welcome the announcement '' `` I wholeheartedly welcome the announcement of the framework agreement ... to bring peace and development to Muslim Mindanao , '' Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement . Aquino : The agreement is a preliminary agreement for creating an autonomous state . The Moro Islamic Liberation Front has fought for decades for an independent Islamic state .
The announcement comes after 15 years of negotiations between the government and the rebels . UK foreign secretary : ` ` I wholeheartedly welcome the announcement '' Aquino : The agreement is a preliminary agreement for creating an autonomous state . The Moro Islamic Liberation Front has fought for decades for an independent Islamic state .