Wednesday, March 2, 2016

OIC vows to continue supporting Bangsamoro peace process

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 3): OIC vows to continue supporting Bangsamoro peace process

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has reiterated its commitment toward the peace process between the Philippine government (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) amid the non-passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in the 16th Congress.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, OIC Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani assured the continued support of the OIC, which has been engaged with the peace process in Southern Philippines since its inception, for the full implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and all related peace agreements -- namely the 1976 Tripoli Agreement and the 1996 Jakarta Agreement.

Madani commended the commitment of the Malaysian government to continue its support for the peace process especially with its key role as facilitator of the GPH-MILF peace talks since 2001.

It can be recalled that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has reaffirmed unwavering support last Feb. 26 to the peace process even beyond the term of President Benigno Aqunio III, who is stepping down from power on June 30.

Amid the fate of the proposed measure in the current Congress, the OIC official urged the Bangsamoro people to unify, consolidate, and converge together toward the advancement of the peace process and the final resolution of the Bangsamoro struggle.

He also advised the leaders of the Bangsamoro people, particularly the MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), to utilize the existing mechanism, Bangsamoro Coordinating Forum (BCF), to achieve a more unified position and a more coherent, consolidated, and sustainable cooperation for the benefit of the Bangsamoro community.

Madani also called for the support and participation of “peace-loving” Filipino people to “stand by their brethren in the south in their struggle” toward attaining lasting and genuine peace.

For his part, MILF Chairman Alhaj Murad Ebrahim assured the Secretary General that the MILF would continue to uphold the peace process, and would continue to call on the Bangsamoro people to remain patient and to rally behind the full implementation of the CAB.

The Secretary General welcomed this continued firm commitment toward the peace process and towards sustaining the ceasefire and avoiding resorting to violence.

The OIC official received Murad on Sunday, Feb. 26, for a meeting following the severe setback to the peace process due to the non-passage of the BBL, which would have replaced the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with a parliamentary regional government with more political and fiscal autonomy.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=862626

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