Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida reaffirmed Japan ’s commitment to peace and development in Mindanao , particularly in the Bangsamoro, during his
meeting Saturday with officials of the Philippine government and the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
A report from the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo dated June 20
said Kishida met with National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) Secretary
Yasmin Busran-Lao, and Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel M. Lopez, and MILF
chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, at the sidelines of the Japan-organized “High-Level
Seminar on Peacebuilding, National Reconciliation, and Democratization in Asia”
at the United Nations University in Tokyo.
Kishida welcomed the steady progress in the Bangsamoro peace
process and the commitment demonstrated by the GPH and MILF, the report said.
He also reiterated Japan ’s
continued support for the Bangsamoro process and to help spur development in
the new autonomous political entity, through initiatives such as J-BIRD Phase
II, as pledged by no less than Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his Summit
Meeting with President Aquino in Tokyo
It played a historic role in the history of the peace
process by hosting that first meeting between President Aquino and MILF chair
Murad on Augut 4, 2011 in Tokyo
In that two-hour meeting, both parties agreed to fast-track
the peace process by signing a peace agreement within the first half of the
six-year term of the Aquino administration (2010 to 2013) so that the second
half (2013 to 2016) would be spent on implementation.
A second meeting in Japan
took place on June 24, 2014, where the two leaders met for “15 to 20 minutes”
in Hiroshima , just before the President
delivered his keynote address at The Consolidation for Peace for Mindanao seminar.
Accompanied by his peace panel chair, Mohagher Iqbal, Murad raised their “concerns” about the Malacanang-proposed revisions on the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), a copy of which the MILF received a few days earlier.
“Turning point”
The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo ’s
report said Murad thanked Japan
In his speech at the Consolidation for Peace for Mindanao
seminar in Hiroshima
“This meeting happened at a crucial time: Talks with the
MILF had reached a difficult standstill, and I had broached the idea of
directly meeting with Chairman Murad to move the discussions forward. To their
credit, they responded in the affirmative. In hindsight, to us, that was the
turning point in our narrative to secure a just and lasting peace. Trust was established
between brothers, and genuine dialogue was possible,” he said.
The Philippine Embassy report said that NCMF Secretary Lao
highlighted in her speech the decommissioning process for MILF weapons and
combatants, with the ceremonial turnover of 55 high-powered firearms and 20
crew-served weapons on June 16 at the gymnasium at the old Maguindanao Capitol.
Lao said the decommissioning happened even as the Bangsamoro
Basic Law that would pave the way for the creation of a new autonomous
political entity based on the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, is
still pending in Congress.
Kishida congratulated the parties for this important step
and urged both GPH and MILF “to exercise leadership to sustain the ongoing
transition towards the establishment of the Bangsamoro and preserving the gains
in the peace process,” the Embassy press release said.
Ambassador Lopez thanked Japan
for its reiteration of support to Mindanao ,
recalling the discussions between President Aquino and PM Abe during the
President’s state visit in early June.
http://www.mindanews.com/peace-process/2015/06/21/japanese-foreign-minister-kishida-meets-gph-and-milf-officials-in-tokyo/
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