TALKS in Antananarivo, Madagascar to reconcile rival factions in the Indian Ocean Comoro Islands inched forward on Wednesday after secessionists said they will drop a formal reference to their claim for independence in any peace deal. The two smaller islands in the Comoros chain, Anjouan and Moheli, declared independence from the main island, Grand Comore, in August 1997 and Anjouan beat off an attempted invasion by Grand Comoran forces the following month. Anjouan’s leaders now say the issue of formal independence is negotiable, but insist they must have autonomy, including over foreign affairs. “We have accepted that the word independence should not be mentioned in the final document,” the leader of the Anjouan delegation Abdallah Mohamed said on Wednesday. “Nevertheless, that does not mean we are renouncing the content of our independence.”