MILF: OIC to invite MILF as ‘guest’ in future meetings

From the MILF Website (Nov 21): OIC to invite MILF as ‘guest’ in future meetings

The 39th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti, from November 15-17 (1 to 3 Muharram 1434H) had extended to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) the chance to attend future OIC’s meetings as “guest”. This gesture was contained in the OIC’s Resolution on the Question of Muslims in Southern Philippines, which requested the Secretary General to invite the representatives of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to participate in ministerial conferences as guest, in coordination with the hosting state, in order to facilitate coordination between the two fronts. In this Djibouti conference, the MILF has sent a four-man team led by no less than Chairman Murad Ebrahim and with Atty. Datu Michael Mastura, Roberto “Maulana” Alonto, and Muhajirin Ali, as members. Chairman Nur Misuari led the MNLF delegation, with three others including Commander Narra Abduljabbar of Lanao del Sur. It can be recalled that all past invitations to the MILF to attend OIC’s conferences had been part of the MNLF delegation, which has been grated “observer status” in the OIC. However, with this new status, the MILF can be invited separately from the MNLF.....

....However, a source from the MILF Central Committee told Luwaran that they expressed “strong reservation” on Resolution number 10 which runs thus: “Calls upon the Secretary General to hold another session of the tripartite meeting at the earliest to contain any impacts that may result from the Framework Agreement between GPH and MILF, save the 1996 Agreement and link it to the Framework Agreement, and develop a mechanism between MNLF, MILF and GPH to oversee the implementation of these two agreements i.e. the agreement with the MILF and the agreements with the MNLF. The source, who requested anonymity for lack of formal authority to speak on the matter, described the formation of the triumvirate of the MNLF, MILF, and GPH, which in essence takes the nature of an oversight committee, as unnecessary mechanism that will only complicate the gains of the GPH-MILF Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro. He explained that while the MILF welcomes the inputs coming from the MNLF but this should be done through the “Bangsamoro Coordination Forum,” which the OIC also sponsors. The MILF fully agreed to the creation of this forum but the MNLF until today has not approved of it yet.

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