Indons Urge MILF-MNLF Unity

From the Manila Bulletin (Dec 2): Indons Urge MILF-MNLF Unity

Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second biggest Islamic group with over 37-million members, has joined the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in seeking to unite the two Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). Dr. Sirajuddin "Din" Syamsuddin, Muhammadiyah president, convened a meeting between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Bogor City, Western Java, Indonesia, for three days on Nov. 24 to 26. Syamsuddin invited MNLF founding Chairman Nur Misuari as well as Cotabato City Vice Mayor Muslimin Sema, who chairs his own MNLF group, for a meeting at the sidelines of the 4th World Peace Forum (WPF) on Nov. 23 to 26. The MILF sent Sheikh Abduwahab Faisal, Hadji Abdulla Camlian, MILF peace panel member, and Hadji Salim Sahaji to the meeting. Muhammadiyah also invited representatives of the Government of the Philippines (GPH), led by Presidential Peace Adviser Teresita Q. Deles to the MNLF-MILF peace talks. Lawyer Bayan G. Balt, legal counsel and adviser to the MNLF-Sema group, relayed this to the Manila Bulletin yesterday. At the meeting, Syamsuddin gave lecture in front the Moro fronts' leaders on the Holy Qur'an and Hadith injunctions on Islamic unity.

“Dr. Din Syamsuddin had made it clear at the meeting that Muhammadiyah was only following the OIC resolution in Djibouti that called for the convergence of the Framework Agreement with the Tripoli Agreement and Final Peace Agreement," said Balt. He said the OIC resolution called for the creation of the Bangsamoro Coordination Forum (BCF). The Indonesian leader was referring to the call of the 57 foreign ministers of OIC member during the 39th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Djibouti, East Africa, on Nov. 15 to 17. Balt said that at the end of the MNLF-MILF meeting, Muhammadiyah came up with a document titled "Towards Permanent Unity and Peace for the Bangsamoro." Only Syamsuddin and Dr. Sodibyo Markus, Muhammadiyah vice president for International Relations, signed the document, he said. None of the participants from the Philippines did, said Balt. Balt quoted Misuari as describing the document as "dangerous." "I will leave the problem to the OIC," Misuari said as quoted by Balt. On the other hand, the MILF representatives and Sema were opened to the idea of unity for the benefit of the Bangsamoro people, he said.

At the opening of the MNLF-MILF meeting, Deles cited GPH's "intention" under President Benigno S. Aquino III "to bring the MILF and MNLF peace tracks to converge, knowing fully well that it is not possible to talk about separate futures for both." Balt marveled at the resources of Muhammadiyah. "We were billeted one room each at the five-start Novotel Bogor Hotel, with each room at $350 a night," said Balt, expressing admiration at Muhammadiyah's funding. On second thought, it is not surprising, he said, because the Indonesian group has its own investments in hospitals, schools, etc., and has even sent relief assistance to the Philippines.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/384111/indons-urge-milfmnlf-unity