OIC chief holds extensive meetings with Philippine officials, two Moro fronts

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Monday 20 Apr 2015 - 10:59 Makkah mean time-1-7-1436 Manila (IINA) – Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Iyad Madani has been holding continuous back-to-back meetings during his four-day visit to the Philippines to push forward the peace agreement and the autonomous government initiative in Southern Philippines. Following the recent tragic incidents that have delayed the peace process, the visit of the Secretary General to the Philippines at this critical time is appreciated and welcomed by all parties, according to OIC sources. The Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario said in his meeting with Madani on Friday that the Philippine government appreciates the role of the OIC in bringing peace to Southern Philippines. The same sentiment was echoed in the meetings with the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Deles, the House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte and several Senators and Congressmen. The OIC Secretary General is due to meet with President Benigno Aquino on Monday. Madani also reviewed the situation of the peace process with the ambassadors of the OIC member states posted in Manila during a dinner hosted by Ambassador of Saudi Arabia Dr. Abdullah Al-Bussairy. On Saturday, the Secretary General flew to Davao in Southern Philippines, the first visit by an OIC Secretary General to the region, to meet with the two main Muslim groups leading the struggle for autonomy during the past five decades – the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). His visit to Mindanao is highly appreciated by the two groups who came from different parts of the region to meet him. The secretary general met with each group separately on Saturday and Sunday to bring the views and expectations of the two sides closer together. He stressed on the need for unity, agreement and consideration of the role and importance of each group to achieve peace and prosperity in the region. Madani then chaired the meeting of the Bangsamoro Coordinating Forum (BCF), which was activated last year and joins the two Moro fronts to work together. Both sides agreed that the Forum is the best mechanism for discussion and exchange of information. They agreed to continue to exert their efforts for the benefit of the peace process. The secretary general invited the BCF members to hold the next meeting of the BCF on the sidelines of the 42nd Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) scheduled to take place in Kuwait on May 27. AB/IINA