The Mindanao Examiner is republishing this statement released by the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) after a delegation met with leaders of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in Jolo island and Mindanao in May 2006, who accused the Philippine government of reneging on the 1996 Peace Agreement.
Hundreds of disgruntled MNLF rebels are now holding a group of senior Philippine defense officials in Jolo island because of the government's failure to honor the 11-year old peace deal.
"The Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, has dispatched a fact-finding mission to the Republic of the Philippines, headed by Ambassador Sayed Kasim El Masri, Adviser to the Secretary-General, to mark the tenth anniversary of the conclusion of the Peace Agreement between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
This mission comes after this agreement has become dysfunctional, leading to increased tension in the region and to the outbreak of fighting in various areas in the province, particularly in the Sulu Island, southern Philippines. This tension has been caused by the arrest of the MNLF President, Prof. Nur Misuari, who became governor of the province after the conclusion of the Peace Agreement in 1996.
The mission visited Mindanao, southern Philippines, where the Government of the Philippines has declared a six-day ceasefire in order to enable the mission to complete its field visits. After negotiations with the parties concerned, the fact finding mission has succeeded in obtaining the approval of the Government of the Philippines and the MNLF fighters to extend the ceasefire in Mindanao sine die.
The fact finding mission has requested the convening in Jeddah of a tripartite meeting of the representatives of the Government, the MNLF and the OIC in order to examine the reasons why the Peace Agreement is not fully implemented, and to find ways and means to remove the obstacles to the completion of the implementation process.
The mission also demanded the release of the MNLF leader, Prof. Nur Misuari, in order to allow him to attend the meeting proposed to be held at the OIC Headquarters next July.
At the end of the visit, the President of the Republic of the Philippines, Mrs. Gloria Arroyo, will meet the head of the mission and his accompanying delegation, together with the Ambassadors of OIC Member States who are members of the Committee of the Eight, entrusted with following up on the question of Muslims in Southern Philippines.
The Committee is composed of Saudi Arabia, Libya, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Brunei Darussalam. The MNLF has been fighting for the past fifty years for the right to self determination for the Muslims of Mindanao in Southern Philippines.
Mindanao was an independent Islamic Sultanate, known as the Sultanate of Sulu before the Spanish invasion of the region five centuries ago. Since 1973, the OIC started to provide assistance to the Muslims of the Philippines and to dispatch fact-finding missions.
The Organization also launched an appeal to the Government of the Philippines for negotiation within the national sovereignty in order to reach a political solution that responds justly and fairly to the demands of the Muslims in the Philippines.
On 23 September 1976, the negotiations held in Jeddah and Tripoli, Libya, resulted in an agreement by which the MNLF renounced to its demand of full independence in return for self-rule in 13 regions and 9 cities in Southern Philippines. The implementation of this agreement, however, faced numerous obstacles; fighting broke out again until serious negotiations were launched in the early 1990s under the aegis of the OIC.
The Final Peace Agreement was signed on 2 September 1996 for the implementation of the Tripoli Agreement.Almost ten years have elapsed since the conclusion of the final agreement without reaching the aspired peace. This has pushed the OIC to re-establish contacts with the parties concerned in order to reach a formula that would ensure the full implementation of the provisions of this agreement."
Jeddah : 22 May 2006
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