US Envoy Meets Philippines Muslim Rebel Chief -AFP
CAMP DARAPANAN, Philippines (AFP)--U.S. ambassador Kristie Kenney on Tuesday met with the head of the Philippines' main Muslim rebel group in an attempt to re-start stalled peace talks, the two sides said.
Accompanied by U.S. security personnel and aid officials, the envoy visited the main rebel base of Camp Darapanan and met with Muhammad Murad, chief of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
She said it was a "private visit" and wouldn't comment further.
Murad told AFP in an exclusive interview after the meeting that Kenney had questioned him about the status of the peace talks, which he said would resume next month.
Washington has pledged tens of millions of dollars in aid to the troubled Mindanao region of the southern Philippines once Manila strikes a peace treaty with the 12,000-member MILF.
Concerned with the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Southeast Asia and the previous use of MILF training camps by Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants, the US government is also providing military training and intelligence to Filipino forces in the southern Philippines.
The visit came as the Philippine military announced it has exhumed in the nearby Tawi-Tawi island group what it believes could be the remains of key JI suspect Dulmatin, a principal suspect in the 2002 Bali bombings.
"We are on track. We negotiating now so we can achieve the aspirations of the (Filipino Muslims). We are trying very hard to get the peace agreement that we want," Murad told AFP.
Representatives of the MILF and President Gloria Arroyo's government met earlier this year to discuss the talks, which are hosted by Malaysia, he said.
"We are just discussing some issues now and we are returning to the peace table in March," he added.
Kenney was greeted by MILF fighters in combat uniform and armed with M-16 rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. She met with Murad behind closed doors for about an hour before departing.
"We have to build peace on the ground first while negotiating," Murad said, adding that the US Agency for International Development "is helping us in building this aspect of the peace process." MILF officials told AFP that Kenney asked the MILF to support annual joint military exercises between US and Filipino troops. This year's maneuvers began in several areas of Mindanao on Monday.
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The completion of a final peace agreement between the government and the MILF hit a snag in December due to disagreements over the issue of "ancestral domains" or government recognition of areas where the country's Muslim minority would have some control.
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Pertinent Links:
1) US Envoy Meets Philippines Muslim Rebel Chief -AFP
Showing posts with label phillipines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phillipines. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
DAR AL HARB-PHILLIPINES: AL QAEDA AFFILIATES TARGET ARROYO
Arroyo target of plot
By OLIVER TEVES, Associated Press Writer
MANILA, Philippines - Authorities have uncovered alleged plots by al-Qaida-linked militants to assassinate the Philippine president and bomb foreign embassies, officials said Thursday.
Military chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon said the assassination plot allegedly was hatched by the extremist Abu Sayyaf group and its Indonesia-based ally, Jemaah Islamiyah.
Brig. Gen. Romeo Prestoza, head of the Presidential Security Group, said police uncovered the plot last week. "It's not only the president who is the target, but also other people ... and embassies," he said without offering specifics.
The alleged plot was also to involve a sniper shooting the president, Esperon said.
A U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said officials there were aware of media reports that foreign embassies had been targeted but would not comment further. She spoke on condition of anonymity in line with policy.
The officials did not specify when the attacks were expected to occur. But Prestoza said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's attendance at an alumni homecoming of the Philippine Military Academy on Saturday in northern Baguio city has been canceled and the rest of her schedule was "under assessment."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Arroyo target of plot
By OLIVER TEVES, Associated Press Writer
MANILA, Philippines - Authorities have uncovered alleged plots by al-Qaida-linked militants to assassinate the Philippine president and bomb foreign embassies, officials said Thursday.
Military chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon said the assassination plot allegedly was hatched by the extremist Abu Sayyaf group and its Indonesia-based ally, Jemaah Islamiyah.
Brig. Gen. Romeo Prestoza, head of the Presidential Security Group, said police uncovered the plot last week. "It's not only the president who is the target, but also other people ... and embassies," he said without offering specifics.
The alleged plot was also to involve a sniper shooting the president, Esperon said.
A U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said officials there were aware of media reports that foreign embassies had been targeted but would not comment further. She spoke on condition of anonymity in line with policy.
The officials did not specify when the attacks were expected to occur. But Prestoza said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's attendance at an alumni homecoming of the Philippine Military Academy on Saturday in northern Baguio city has been canceled and the rest of her schedule was "under assessment."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Arroyo target of plot
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
DAR AL HARB - PHILLIPINES: "TERRORISM HOT SPOT" = PHILLIPINES
Philippines is regional ‘terrorism hotspot’
MANILA: More than 1,700 people have been killed or wounded in Islamic militant attacks in the Philippines during the last seven years, the highest number in Southeast Asia, a human rights group said yesterday.
In a report, US-based Human Rights Watch blamed two small militant groups based in the southern Philippines for the killings — Abu Sayyaf and the Rajah Solaiman Movement.
The scale of violence in the Philippines, however, has not received widespread attention outside the region, said John Sifton, senior researcher on terrorism and counter-terrorism at Human Rights Watch in New York.
“Extremist armed groups have spread terror among civilians in the Philippines,” Sifton said.
“They have bombed buses carrying workers, food markets where people were shopping, airports where relatives were waiting for loved ones and ferry boats carrying families.”
The 28-page report also faulted the Philippine government for not prosecuting those responsible for the attacks. Although some suspects had been arrested since 2000, it said very few had been brought successfully to trial.
The group also criticised Manila’s new law to fight terrorism, saying it contained “dangerous over-broad provisions that violate human rights standards”.
“The Philippines doesn’t need a new abusive counter terrorism law,” said Sifton. “The government isn’t using the laws it already has, so why does it need new provisions that violate human rights?”
The Philippines is hosting Asia-Pacific’s largest security gathering this week in Manila, where it is pushing for Southeast Asian countries to create a regional human rights body.
Human Rights Watch said it suspected the Abu Sayyaf and Rajah Solaiman continued to have links with rogue elements of larger Muslim rebel groups — the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
The group called on the United States and the international community to provide assistance to ongoing peace talks between the government and Muslim rebels to make sure any deals reached would promote human rights and protect civilian population.
“To end the bombings, kidnappings and other violence, other governments have to pressure Philippine leaders to put a greater emphasis on protecting civilian life,” Sifton said.
Pertinent Links:
1) Philippines is regional ‘terrorism hotspot’
MANILA: More than 1,700 people have been killed or wounded in Islamic militant attacks in the Philippines during the last seven years, the highest number in Southeast Asia, a human rights group said yesterday.
In a report, US-based Human Rights Watch blamed two small militant groups based in the southern Philippines for the killings — Abu Sayyaf and the Rajah Solaiman Movement.
The scale of violence in the Philippines, however, has not received widespread attention outside the region, said John Sifton, senior researcher on terrorism and counter-terrorism at Human Rights Watch in New York.
“Extremist armed groups have spread terror among civilians in the Philippines,” Sifton said.
“They have bombed buses carrying workers, food markets where people were shopping, airports where relatives were waiting for loved ones and ferry boats carrying families.”
The 28-page report also faulted the Philippine government for not prosecuting those responsible for the attacks. Although some suspects had been arrested since 2000, it said very few had been brought successfully to trial.
The group also criticised Manila’s new law to fight terrorism, saying it contained “dangerous over-broad provisions that violate human rights standards”.
“The Philippines doesn’t need a new abusive counter terrorism law,” said Sifton. “The government isn’t using the laws it already has, so why does it need new provisions that violate human rights?”
The Philippines is hosting Asia-Pacific’s largest security gathering this week in Manila, where it is pushing for Southeast Asian countries to create a regional human rights body.
Human Rights Watch said it suspected the Abu Sayyaf and Rajah Solaiman continued to have links with rogue elements of larger Muslim rebel groups — the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
The group called on the United States and the international community to provide assistance to ongoing peace talks between the government and Muslim rebels to make sure any deals reached would promote human rights and protect civilian population.
“To end the bombings, kidnappings and other violence, other governments have to pressure Philippine leaders to put a greater emphasis on protecting civilian life,” Sifton said.
Pertinent Links:
1) Philippines is regional ‘terrorism hotspot’
Friday, July 20, 2007
DAR AL HARB - PHILLIPINES: FATHER BOSSI HAS BEEN RELEASED BY HIS MOSLEM CAPTORS
Fr. Bossi: “I am well, I want to return to bid farewell to my parishioners”
The missionary reveals that he survived on rice and salt and that he intends to quit smoking. Brought to a military camp in Manila, where is awaited by the Philippine President.
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Fr. Bossi 39 days in the hands of kidnappers
The priest, kidnapped on June 10th last by a group of armed men, appears to be in good health even if tried by his experience.
...
Fr. Bossi: “They treated me well and I prayed for them”
by Santos Digal
Benedict XVI was informed of the release yesterday evening and expressed “the great joy of the entire Church”. Contradicting versions from the Philippine authorities regarding those responsible for the abduction.
...
Fr. Bossi: “I will return among my people”
by Santos Digal
The Italian missionary retraces the dramatic events of his sequester. He misses the warmth of his people and the affection “of the children” because his hart “is and will remain in Payao”. Messages of joy at the news of his release multiply.Zamboanga (AsiaNews) – “I want to return to Payao to greet my people, tell them that I am well and above all embrace the children again. My heart is and will remain in Payao. They say that a priest must also be a father and so as the...
...
The missionary reveals that he survived on rice and salt and that he intends to quit smoking. Brought to a military camp in Manila, where is awaited by the Philippine President.
...
Fr. Bossi 39 days in the hands of kidnappers
The priest, kidnapped on June 10th last by a group of armed men, appears to be in good health even if tried by his experience.
...
Fr. Bossi: “They treated me well and I prayed for them”
by Santos Digal
Benedict XVI was informed of the release yesterday evening and expressed “the great joy of the entire Church”. Contradicting versions from the Philippine authorities regarding those responsible for the abduction.
...
Fr. Bossi: “I will return among my people”
by Santos Digal
The Italian missionary retraces the dramatic events of his sequester. He misses the warmth of his people and the affection “of the children” because his hart “is and will remain in Payao”. Messages of joy at the news of his release multiply.Zamboanga (AsiaNews) – “I want to return to Payao to greet my people, tell them that I am well and above all embrace the children again. My heart is and will remain in Payao. They say that a priest must also be a father and so as the...
...
Sunday, July 08, 2007
DAR AL HARB - PHILLIPINES: UPDATE ON FATHER BOSSI, A PRIEST THAT WAS ABDUCTED BY MOSLEM JIHADISTS IN THE PHILLIPINES
Search for Fr Bossi: between anticipation and hope
The brother priests of the missionary who was kidnapped on 10 June in the Philippines say the emergence of photos of Fr Bossi have boosted hopes but have also sparked dangerous speculation. Today, across the nation, fervent prayers were said for his release and deliverance from his captors.
...
[and]
No certainty about identity of Fr Bossi’s abductors as contact is awaited
This is what Fr Luciano Benedetti, a brother priest of the missionary kidnapped on 10 June from his parish in Payao, told AsiaNews. He underlined the importance of waiting for secure contact that was worthy of trust.
...
[and]
First photos of Fr Bossi show he is alive
PIME Superior for the Philippines receives photos of the captive missionary. They constitute the first evidence that he is alive and the first real contact with the kidnappers.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Search for Fr Bossi: between anticipation and hope
2) No certainty about identity of Fr Bossi’s abductors as contact is awaited
3) First photos of Fr Bossi show he is alive
The brother priests of the missionary who was kidnapped on 10 June in the Philippines say the emergence of photos of Fr Bossi have boosted hopes but have also sparked dangerous speculation. Today, across the nation, fervent prayers were said for his release and deliverance from his captors.
...
[and]
No certainty about identity of Fr Bossi’s abductors as contact is awaited
This is what Fr Luciano Benedetti, a brother priest of the missionary kidnapped on 10 June from his parish in Payao, told AsiaNews. He underlined the importance of waiting for secure contact that was worthy of trust.
...
[and]
First photos of Fr Bossi show he is alive
PIME Superior for the Philippines receives photos of the captive missionary. They constitute the first evidence that he is alive and the first real contact with the kidnappers.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Search for Fr Bossi: between anticipation and hope
2) No certainty about identity of Fr Bossi’s abductors as contact is awaited
3) First photos of Fr Bossi show he is alive
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
DAR AL HARB - PHILLIPINES: UPDATES CONCERNING FR. GIANCARLO BOSSI
PIME press release about Fr Giancarlo Bossi
PIME thanks all those who are praying and working on behalf of the abducted missionary and requests that no one use the event for their own ends.
...
and
MILF stage “strategic” retreat but search for Fr Bossi goes on
A brother priest of Fr Bossi in Zamboanga, the retreat of the Islamic separatists from operations is for “exclusively political” reasons and perhaps “non Islamic”.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) PIME press release about Fr Giancarlo Bossi
2) MILF stage “strategic” retreat but search for Fr Bossi goes on
PIME thanks all those who are praying and working on behalf of the abducted missionary and requests that no one use the event for their own ends.
...
and
MILF stage “strategic” retreat but search for Fr Bossi goes on
A brother priest of Fr Bossi in Zamboanga, the retreat of the Islamic separatists from operations is for “exclusively political” reasons and perhaps “non Islamic”.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) PIME press release about Fr Giancarlo Bossi
2) MILF stage “strategic” retreat but search for Fr Bossi goes on
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A./PHILLIPINES: GREATER COOPERATION BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES & THE PHILLIPINES WHEN IT COMES TO FIGHTING THE 'WAR ON TERROR'
Philippines, US to enhance military cooperation against terrorism
Manila - The Philippines and the United States on Wednesday vowed to boost military cooperation in fighting terrorism to ensure that al-Qaeda-linked militants hiding in the Asian country's troubled south would be neutralized.
But Admiral Timothy Keating, chief of the US Pacific Command, who was in Manila for a visit, said there was no plan to increase the number of American military forces stationed in the Philippines.
Keating said the United States would continue to assist the Philippine military in training personnel and acquiring equipment to fight terrorism and other security threats.
'We agreed to accelerate the process that will provide hardware to the Armed Forces of the Philippines,' he said after meeting with the Philippine Armed Forces chief of staff, General Hermogenes Esperon.
Keating and Esperon discussed various activities between the two militaries for the next five years at an annual defence meeting in Manila.
'The Philippines and the US reaffirmed their commitment to defend one another against common threats, and we will continue cooperation in responding to various security concerns in the region,' the two officials said in a joint statement.
'We believe that only by reinforcing cooperative efforts can lasting peace and security in this part of the globe be achieved,' they added.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Philippines, US to enhance military cooperation against terrorism
Manila - The Philippines and the United States on Wednesday vowed to boost military cooperation in fighting terrorism to ensure that al-Qaeda-linked militants hiding in the Asian country's troubled south would be neutralized.
But Admiral Timothy Keating, chief of the US Pacific Command, who was in Manila for a visit, said there was no plan to increase the number of American military forces stationed in the Philippines.
Keating said the United States would continue to assist the Philippine military in training personnel and acquiring equipment to fight terrorism and other security threats.
'We agreed to accelerate the process that will provide hardware to the Armed Forces of the Philippines,' he said after meeting with the Philippine Armed Forces chief of staff, General Hermogenes Esperon.
Keating and Esperon discussed various activities between the two militaries for the next five years at an annual defence meeting in Manila.
'The Philippines and the US reaffirmed their commitment to defend one another against common threats, and we will continue cooperation in responding to various security concerns in the region,' the two officials said in a joint statement.
'We believe that only by reinforcing cooperative efforts can lasting peace and security in this part of the globe be achieved,' they added.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Philippines, US to enhance military cooperation against terrorism
Saturday, June 23, 2007
DAR AL HARB - PHILLIPINES: AN UPDATE ON THE KIDNAPPED
Fr. Bossi, “hypothesis” of new channels linked to civil society
12 days on from his kidnap, in the absence of any credible information, the army and police request “help that goes beyond the military option”; idea to form a group of representatives from civil society who may act as mediators. The move – explain Pime leaders – will not exclude the joined army and Milf task forces, who continue their search aided by local people.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Fr. Bossi, “hypothesis” of new channels linked to civil society
12 days on from his kidnap, in the absence of any credible information, the army and police request “help that goes beyond the military option”; idea to form a group of representatives from civil society who may act as mediators. The move – explain Pime leaders – will not exclude the joined army and Milf task forces, who continue their search aided by local people.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Fr. Bossi, “hypothesis” of new channels linked to civil society
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
DAR AL HARB - PHILLIPINES: MOSLEM JIHADISTS DO NOT WANT TO ENGAGE WITH A ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST IN THEIR HUDNA NEGOTIATIONS
Philippine priest rejects offer to lead peace talks with Muslim rebels
MANILA, Philippines: A Roman Catholic priest turned down an offer on Wednesday to become the Philippine government's chief negotiator in peace talks with Muslim militants, after the guerrillas criticized the choice of a religious rather than political figure.
Presidential adviser on the peace process, Jesus Dureza, announced last week that the Rev. Eliseo Mercado had been named chairman of the government panel negotiating a settlement of a bloody rebellion by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the southern Philippines.
The Malaysian-brokered peace talks are regarded by both U.S. and Philippine governments as crucial to ending three decades of insurgency that have set back economic development in the mineral-rich region. They are also seen as key to preventing rebel strongholds from becoming breeding grounds for al-Qaida-linked militants.
The peace process, which was initiated under then-President Fidel Ramos, has been ongoing since 1997.
Mercado, 59, was to have taken over from Silvestre Afable Jr., who stepped down to return to the private sector after serving nearly four years, Dureza said.
Mercado's appointment, however, was strongly criticized by the guerrillas, who said the choice could introduce religious color and complicate the already shaky negotiations, which have stalled over a disagreement over rebel territorial demands.
The rebels said they respected Mercado, a well-known peace activist, but that they preferred a high-level statesman and not a Catholic priest, whose appointment could be questioned because of the traditional separation of church and state.
Mercado said he found the criticism valid and did not want to become an obstacle to the talks. He said he had informed President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, through Dureza, and the guerrillas of his rejection.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Philippine priest rejects offer to lead peace talks with Muslim rebels
MANILA, Philippines: A Roman Catholic priest turned down an offer on Wednesday to become the Philippine government's chief negotiator in peace talks with Muslim militants, after the guerrillas criticized the choice of a religious rather than political figure.
Presidential adviser on the peace process, Jesus Dureza, announced last week that the Rev. Eliseo Mercado had been named chairman of the government panel negotiating a settlement of a bloody rebellion by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the southern Philippines.
The Malaysian-brokered peace talks are regarded by both U.S. and Philippine governments as crucial to ending three decades of insurgency that have set back economic development in the mineral-rich region. They are also seen as key to preventing rebel strongholds from becoming breeding grounds for al-Qaida-linked militants.
The peace process, which was initiated under then-President Fidel Ramos, has been ongoing since 1997.
Mercado, 59, was to have taken over from Silvestre Afable Jr., who stepped down to return to the private sector after serving nearly four years, Dureza said.
Mercado's appointment, however, was strongly criticized by the guerrillas, who said the choice could introduce religious color and complicate the already shaky negotiations, which have stalled over a disagreement over rebel territorial demands.
The rebels said they respected Mercado, a well-known peace activist, but that they preferred a high-level statesman and not a Catholic priest, whose appointment could be questioned because of the traditional separation of church and state.
Mercado said he found the criticism valid and did not want to become an obstacle to the talks. He said he had informed President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, through Dureza, and the guerrillas of his rejection.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Philippine priest rejects offer to lead peace talks with Muslim rebels
Monday, June 18, 2007
DAR AL HARB - PHILLIPINES: FATHER BOSSI HAS FINALLY BEEN HEARD FROM
Mindanao: Father Bossi well according to first contacts
Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions regional superior confirms first verbal contacts with missionary’s still anonymous kidnappers. An 11-hour prayer Vigil was held yesterday in Ipil with witnesses by Christians and Muslims. In Payao, where Father Bossi worked, faithful of every creed pray 24 hours a day.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Mindanao: Father Bossi well according to first contacts
Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions regional superior confirms first verbal contacts with missionary’s still anonymous kidnappers. An 11-hour prayer Vigil was held yesterday in Ipil with witnesses by Christians and Muslims. In Payao, where Father Bossi worked, faithful of every creed pray 24 hours a day.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Mindanao: Father Bossi well according to first contacts
Saturday, June 16, 2007
DAR AL HARB - PHILLIPINES: NEGOTIATIONS WITH JIHADISTS CONTINUE, NEGOTIATOR QUITS & A NEW ONE IS APPOINTED
Manila's Chief Negotiator With Muslim Rebels Quits
by REUTERS
Skip to next paragraph MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines' chief negotiator with Muslim separatists has resigned and a new man has been chosen for the post, the government said on Saturday, raising doubts about the resumption of talks in Malaysia next month.
Silvestre Afable's resignation came at a time when the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were close to restarting talks on a proposed ancestral homeland for 3 million Muslims in the south of the country.
"This is a setback," Mohaqher Iqbal, the rebels' chief peace negotiator, told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"This is not a very good indication. This could affect the entire peace process. At a personal level, we could be starting all over again."
Chief government spokesman Ignacio Bunye confirmed Afable had resigned after sources on the government peace panel told Reuters about the development.
"We confirm that Secretary Afable has resigned and has discussed the matter with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo," Bunye said.
Jesus Dureza, an adviser to Arroyo, said a Catholic priest who is also an Islamic scholar would replace Afable.
"The assumption of Father Eliseo Mercado as the new panel chair will ensure a seamless transition and a continuity in government efforts to move forward the peace process with the MILF," Dureza said.
Mercado is the former president of the Notre Dame University in the southern Philippines and has served in the Vatican and also studied in Cairo's Al-Azhar University.
But analysts said he was perceived as pro-MILF and may not enjoy the backing of the powerful military.
"He's an outsider," Abhoud Syed Lingga, executive director of the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies in Cotabato City, told Reuters.
"The chief negotiator should be someone who enjoys the support of the president and more political clout to make the military toe the line."
The government officials gave no reason for Afable's decision to quit the peace panel, where he has served since the two sides agreed to return to negotiations after hostilities erupted in February 2003.
But one of his colleagues on the panel told Reuters: "He was getting frustrated because he was not getting enough support from the president and from her security officials.
"He felt there were some people in the Cabinet who were not serious in finding a lasting solution to the Muslim rebellion in the south."
The government has been talking with Muslim rebels to end nearly 40 years of conflict that has killed more than 120,000 people and displaced 2 million in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic country.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Manila's Chief Negotiator With Muslim Rebels Quits
by REUTERS
Skip to next paragraph MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines' chief negotiator with Muslim separatists has resigned and a new man has been chosen for the post, the government said on Saturday, raising doubts about the resumption of talks in Malaysia next month.
Silvestre Afable's resignation came at a time when the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were close to restarting talks on a proposed ancestral homeland for 3 million Muslims in the south of the country.
"This is a setback," Mohaqher Iqbal, the rebels' chief peace negotiator, told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"This is not a very good indication. This could affect the entire peace process. At a personal level, we could be starting all over again."
Chief government spokesman Ignacio Bunye confirmed Afable had resigned after sources on the government peace panel told Reuters about the development.
"We confirm that Secretary Afable has resigned and has discussed the matter with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo," Bunye said.
Jesus Dureza, an adviser to Arroyo, said a Catholic priest who is also an Islamic scholar would replace Afable.
"The assumption of Father Eliseo Mercado as the new panel chair will ensure a seamless transition and a continuity in government efforts to move forward the peace process with the MILF," Dureza said.
Mercado is the former president of the Notre Dame University in the southern Philippines and has served in the Vatican and also studied in Cairo's Al-Azhar University.
But analysts said he was perceived as pro-MILF and may not enjoy the backing of the powerful military.
"He's an outsider," Abhoud Syed Lingga, executive director of the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies in Cotabato City, told Reuters.
"The chief negotiator should be someone who enjoys the support of the president and more political clout to make the military toe the line."
The government officials gave no reason for Afable's decision to quit the peace panel, where he has served since the two sides agreed to return to negotiations after hostilities erupted in February 2003.
But one of his colleagues on the panel told Reuters: "He was getting frustrated because he was not getting enough support from the president and from her security officials.
"He felt there were some people in the Cabinet who were not serious in finding a lasting solution to the Muslim rebellion in the south."
The government has been talking with Muslim rebels to end nearly 40 years of conflict that has killed more than 120,000 people and displaced 2 million in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic country.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Manila's Chief Negotiator With Muslim Rebels Quits
Sunday, June 10, 2007
DAR AL HARB - PHILLIPINES: ITALIAN PRIEST ABDUCTED IN THE PHILLIPINES, MOSLEMS SUSPECTED
Italian priest abducted in southern Philippines, authorities suspect Islamic rebels
By TERESA CEROJANO
Associated Press Writer
MANILA, Philippines (AP) Gunmen abducted an Italian Roman Catholic priest who was on his way to a remote village to celebrate Sunday Mass in the southern Philippines, police said.
Giancarlo Bossi, 57, was riding his motorcycle in Zamboanga Sibugay province's Payao township, about 500 miles south of Manila, when about 10 armed men blocked his path then seized him, said Senior Superintendent Francisco Cristobal, the provincial police chief.
Cristobal said he suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels who operate in Zamboanga Sibugay, despite a cease-fire agreement with the government. He did not elaborate, but said that al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, notorious for ransom kidnappings, are not known to be active in the area.
Cristobal said police received reports that the group boarded two boats, possibly to flee to nearby islands.
Police and the military was conducting a joint search for the priest with land and coastal patrols, he added.
Bossi was assigned as parish priest of Payao in April and is a member of the Pontificio Instituto Missioni Estere, Cristobal said. Sundalo Jianni, an official from the mission, appealed to Bossi's abductors to free him.
``Father Bossi is a good man and there is no reason to hold him against his will,'' he told the local Mindanao Examiner newspaper.
Col. Godofredo Paderanga of the local army division said ``lawless elements'' were responsible. He did not provide details, but in the past, authorities have blamed rogue members of the MILF, the largest Muslim separatist group in the predominantly Catholic Philippines, for kidnappings and extortion demands.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Italian priest abducted in southern Philippines, authorities suspect Islamic rebels
By TERESA CEROJANO
Associated Press Writer
MANILA, Philippines (AP) Gunmen abducted an Italian Roman Catholic priest who was on his way to a remote village to celebrate Sunday Mass in the southern Philippines, police said.
Giancarlo Bossi, 57, was riding his motorcycle in Zamboanga Sibugay province's Payao township, about 500 miles south of Manila, when about 10 armed men blocked his path then seized him, said Senior Superintendent Francisco Cristobal, the provincial police chief.
Cristobal said he suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels who operate in Zamboanga Sibugay, despite a cease-fire agreement with the government. He did not elaborate, but said that al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, notorious for ransom kidnappings, are not known to be active in the area.
Cristobal said police received reports that the group boarded two boats, possibly to flee to nearby islands.
Police and the military was conducting a joint search for the priest with land and coastal patrols, he added.
Bossi was assigned as parish priest of Payao in April and is a member of the Pontificio Instituto Missioni Estere, Cristobal said. Sundalo Jianni, an official from the mission, appealed to Bossi's abductors to free him.
``Father Bossi is a good man and there is no reason to hold him against his will,'' he told the local Mindanao Examiner newspaper.
Col. Godofredo Paderanga of the local army division said ``lawless elements'' were responsible. He did not provide details, but in the past, authorities have blamed rogue members of the MILF, the largest Muslim separatist group in the predominantly Catholic Philippines, for kidnappings and extortion demands.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Italian priest abducted in southern Philippines, authorities suspect Islamic rebels
Saturday, June 09, 2007
DAR AL HARB - PHILLIPINES: DUTCH & BRITISH DHIMMIS PAY FOR AN "ISLAMIC MODERATION PROGRAM" IN THE PHILLIPINES
UK, Netherlands give P34 M for Islamic moderation program
By EDD K. USMAN
The United Kingdom and the Netherlands, represented by Ambassador Peter Beckingham and Ambassador Robert Vornis, respectively, joined hands yesterday with Muslim Filipinos in a R34-million project to empower Islamic clerics and help them promote moderation over extremism.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) UK, Netherlands give P34 M for Islamic moderation program
By EDD K. USMAN
The United Kingdom and the Netherlands, represented by Ambassador Peter Beckingham and Ambassador Robert Vornis, respectively, joined hands yesterday with Muslim Filipinos in a R34-million project to empower Islamic clerics and help them promote moderation over extremism.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) UK, Netherlands give P34 M for Islamic moderation program
Thursday, June 07, 2007
DAR AL HARB - PHILLIPINES: $10 MILLION DOLLAR REWARDED HANDED OVER TO 'FORMER' ABU SAYAFF & MOSLEM FARMERS
U.S. hands over $10 mln bounty to Philippine Muslims
JOLO, Philippines (Reuters) - The United States handed over $10 million in bounties to four Muslim men in the southern Philippines on Thursday for their role in the killing of two leaders of the country's deadliest Islamic militant group.
U.S. ambassador Kristie Kenney handed over briefcases containing crisp 1,000-peso bills to the men on the southern island of Jolo, the bastion of the Abu Sayyaf militants. They wore black hoods during the ceremony to conceal their identities.
Two of the men were former Abu Sayyaf rebels who turned themselves in and led Philippine soldiers to the grave of their leader. They shared $5 million.
Two Muslim farmers who tipped off army commandos about another militant leader who was then killed in a gunbattle in January shared another $5 million bounty.
"I will be proud to give another $10 million to any citizen who will step forward to keep the rest of us safe," Kenney said. The briefcases contained only a symbolic amount of money, and each man would receive $2.5 million, officials said.
It was the highest bounty ever given in the Philippines.
The two former rebels led troops to the exact spot where Abu Sayyaf chief Khaddafy Janjalani was buried after being mortally wounded in a gunbattle on Jolo last year.
Information from the two farmers helped troops track down and kill Abu Solaiman, the spokesman for the group and also known as "the engineer".
...
Pertinent Links:
1) U.S. hands over $10 mln bounty to Philippine Muslims
JOLO, Philippines (Reuters) - The United States handed over $10 million in bounties to four Muslim men in the southern Philippines on Thursday for their role in the killing of two leaders of the country's deadliest Islamic militant group.
U.S. ambassador Kristie Kenney handed over briefcases containing crisp 1,000-peso bills to the men on the southern island of Jolo, the bastion of the Abu Sayyaf militants. They wore black hoods during the ceremony to conceal their identities.
Two of the men were former Abu Sayyaf rebels who turned themselves in and led Philippine soldiers to the grave of their leader. They shared $5 million.
Two Muslim farmers who tipped off army commandos about another militant leader who was then killed in a gunbattle in January shared another $5 million bounty.
"I will be proud to give another $10 million to any citizen who will step forward to keep the rest of us safe," Kenney said. The briefcases contained only a symbolic amount of money, and each man would receive $2.5 million, officials said.
It was the highest bounty ever given in the Philippines.
The two former rebels led troops to the exact spot where Abu Sayyaf chief Khaddafy Janjalani was buried after being mortally wounded in a gunbattle on Jolo last year.
Information from the two farmers helped troops track down and kill Abu Solaiman, the spokesman for the group and also known as "the engineer".
...
Pertinent Links:
1) U.S. hands over $10 mln bounty to Philippine Muslims
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
DAR AL HARB - PHILLIPINES: JIHAD, HUDNA, JIHAD, LAND FOR PEACE DEAL UNTIL SUCH A TIME AS THE JIHAD RESUMES
The jihad in the Phillipines has borne fruit, moslems are about to get land:
Deal close on Muslim lands in Philippines
There are positive signs in the Philippines that the government and the country's largest Islamic rebel group are moving closer to a deal on defining Muslim ancestral land in the south of the mainly Catholic nation.
Talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to end one of the world's longest-running Islamic insurgencies have been stalled since September over the size and wealth of the proposed Muslim region.
However, M-I-L-F spokesman Eid Kabalu says the two sides are prepared to resume negotiations and are close to an agreement on the territory issue.
He says the Front doubts whether a final peace deal can be reached even after the ancestral domain issue is settled.
The nearly 40-year-old conflict has killed more than 120,000 people, displaced two-million in the south and stunted growth in the resource-rich troubled southern island of Mindanao.
Pertinent Links:
1) Deal close on Muslim lands in Philippines
Deal close on Muslim lands in Philippines
There are positive signs in the Philippines that the government and the country's largest Islamic rebel group are moving closer to a deal on defining Muslim ancestral land in the south of the mainly Catholic nation.
Talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to end one of the world's longest-running Islamic insurgencies have been stalled since September over the size and wealth of the proposed Muslim region.
However, M-I-L-F spokesman Eid Kabalu says the two sides are prepared to resume negotiations and are close to an agreement on the territory issue.
He says the Front doubts whether a final peace deal can be reached even after the ancestral domain issue is settled.
The nearly 40-year-old conflict has killed more than 120,000 people, displaced two-million in the south and stunted growth in the resource-rich troubled southern island of Mindanao.
Pertinent Links:
1) Deal close on Muslim lands in Philippines
Thursday, April 19, 2007
DAR AL HARB - PHILLIPNES: BEHEADED BODIES FOUND OF 6 HOSTAGES, "THE RELIGION OF BEHEADINGS" IS RESPONSIBLE
Muslim militants behead 6 captives in Philippines
JOLO, Philippines (Reuters) - Muslim extremists decapitated six workers they were holding hostage on the southern Philippine island of Jolo, a senior military official said on Thursday.
Major-General Ruben Rafael, commander of military forces on Jolo, said his soldiers discovered the headless bodies close to Parang town, where they were kidnapped by rebel group the Abu Sayyaf on Monday.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim militants behead 6 captives in Philippines
JOLO, Philippines (Reuters) - Muslim extremists decapitated six workers they were holding hostage on the southern Philippine island of Jolo, a senior military official said on Thursday.
Major-General Ruben Rafael, commander of military forces on Jolo, said his soldiers discovered the headless bodies close to Parang town, where they were kidnapped by rebel group the Abu Sayyaf on Monday.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim militants behead 6 captives in Philippines
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
DAR AL HARB - PHILLIPINES: A PHILLIPINO MOSLEM TAKES ADVANTAGE OF HIS USAMA BIN LADEN RESEMBLANCE, RUNS FOR OFFICE
Vote for Bin Laden? 'Peacemaker' Uses Bizarre Strategy to Win Votes in Philippine Election
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine elections are largely a battle of name recall, so Agakhan Sharief has chosen a moniker that will surely capture the attention of voters well beyond his backwater southern province — Usama bin Laden.
Unlike the world's most-wanted terror suspect, Sharief is known by many in Lanao del Sur province as a peacemaker who has helped broker truces when sporadic clashes have erupted between government troops and Muslim insurgents.
Sporting an 18-inch long beard, turban and a neck scarf similar to that worn by bin Laden in TV images, the 35-year-old Sharief has been campaigning frenziedly for a seat in Lanao's legislative council in May 14 elections.
Posters bear his real name with the explosive moniker plastered in the middle in big, bold letters: "BIN LADEN."
He owes his nickname partly to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Sharief said.
After attending a peace-and-order meeting led by Arroyo in Lanao in 2002, Sharief asked the president to pose for a souvenir picture with him. Somebody in the crowd jokingly told Arroyo that he was known around town by the infamous nickname.
"Oh, I see, the young bin Laden of Mindanao," Sharief quoted Arroyo as saying. The crowd erupted in laughter and applause.
...
WOOOHOOO ! ! !
Usama Bin Laden, the moslem hero...
Pertinent Links:
1) Vote for Bin Laden? 'Peacemaker' Uses Bizarre Strategy to Win Votes in Philippine Election
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine elections are largely a battle of name recall, so Agakhan Sharief has chosen a moniker that will surely capture the attention of voters well beyond his backwater southern province — Usama bin Laden.
Unlike the world's most-wanted terror suspect, Sharief is known by many in Lanao del Sur province as a peacemaker who has helped broker truces when sporadic clashes have erupted between government troops and Muslim insurgents.
Sporting an 18-inch long beard, turban and a neck scarf similar to that worn by bin Laden in TV images, the 35-year-old Sharief has been campaigning frenziedly for a seat in Lanao's legislative council in May 14 elections.
Posters bear his real name with the explosive moniker plastered in the middle in big, bold letters: "BIN LADEN."
He owes his nickname partly to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Sharief said.
After attending a peace-and-order meeting led by Arroyo in Lanao in 2002, Sharief asked the president to pose for a souvenir picture with him. Somebody in the crowd jokingly told Arroyo that he was known around town by the infamous nickname.
"Oh, I see, the young bin Laden of Mindanao," Sharief quoted Arroyo as saying. The crowd erupted in laughter and applause.
...
WOOOHOOO ! ! !
Usama Bin Laden, the moslem hero...
Pertinent Links:
1) Vote for Bin Laden? 'Peacemaker' Uses Bizarre Strategy to Win Votes in Philippine Election
Monday, April 16, 2007
DAR AL HARB - PHILLIPINES: THE O.I.C. DEMANDS THAT THE PHILLIPINES SUBMIT TO JIHADS DEMANDS
Muslim countries call on Philippines to end unrest
Muslim countries are appealing to the Philippine government and local Islamic rebels to end a three-day battle that has killed 18 people and displaced thousands.
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference has called on the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Manila to abide by a 1996 agreement that was meant to end conflict in the southern Philippines.
Shirley Escalante reports the commander of the separatist group has declared a Jihad or holy war against the government.
Ustadz Habier Malik, an MNLF commander, says government attacks on three rebel camps in Sulu province since last week, which caused a number of casualties, prodded him to declare a holy war against the government.
For its part, the military claims to have been attacked by MNLF forces, killing two soldiers and wounding eight others.
Officials from both sides have expressed concern over this development, after a peace agreement has been signed between the government and the MNLF in 1996.
...
A hudna is effective for no more than 10yrs, hence the jihad has to resume...
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim countries call on Philippines to end unrest
Muslim countries are appealing to the Philippine government and local Islamic rebels to end a three-day battle that has killed 18 people and displaced thousands.
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference has called on the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Manila to abide by a 1996 agreement that was meant to end conflict in the southern Philippines.
Shirley Escalante reports the commander of the separatist group has declared a Jihad or holy war against the government.
Ustadz Habier Malik, an MNLF commander, says government attacks on three rebel camps in Sulu province since last week, which caused a number of casualties, prodded him to declare a holy war against the government.
For its part, the military claims to have been attacked by MNLF forces, killing two soldiers and wounding eight others.
Officials from both sides have expressed concern over this development, after a peace agreement has been signed between the government and the MNLF in 1996.
...
A hudna is effective for no more than 10yrs, hence the jihad has to resume...
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim countries call on Philippines to end unrest
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
DAR AL HARB - PHILLIPINES: THE HUDNA TALKS CONTINUE, 'SELF-DETERMINATION' HAS BEEN PUT ON THE TABLE BY MANILA
Philippines Offers Muslim Rebels Self-Determination
By Douglas Bakshian Cotabato, Philippines
For the first time, the Philippine government has offered self-determination to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, or MILF, which is fighting for a Muslim homeland in the southern Philippines. While both sides welcome the development as a breakthrough, much work remains ahead to hammer out the details of any settlement. Douglas Bakshian reports from Cotabato, in the southern Philippines, on the latest in a troubled peace process.
The Philippine government's offer to grant extensive self-government rights to Muslim communities in the south is unprecedented.
"It is a breakthrough because since the peace process started in 1975 this is the first time that the government is offering recognition of the right to self-determination," said Rudy Rodil, with the government's negotiating panel.
The Philippines is a mostly Christian nation, but the population in the southern islands is largely Muslim. For centuries, Muslims have complained about mistreatment by the national government in Manila. Over more than 30 years, a violent separatist insurgency has claimed more than 120,000 lives in the south.
...
The Hudna Negotiations continue, the Phillipino Infidels in their ignorance are bearing their throats for a future slaughter...
MUHAMMAD AND THE TREATY OF HUDAYBIYYA
by Silas
ABSTRACT
During 628 A.D. Muhammad attempted to make a pilgrimage to the Kaba in Mecca. As he neared Meccan troops opposed him and forbid him to proceed to Mecca. However, the Meccans entered into negotiations with him. About ten miles outside of Mecca, by the spring of Hudaybiyya, Muhammad and the Meccans concluded a treaty known as the Treaty of Hudaybiyya. This treaty humiliated the Muslims and Muhammad. Later as he journeyed home, Muhammad told his followers that the affair at Hudaybiyya was in fact a "victory". As proof of the victory Muhammad promised his followers that they would have the "booty" of the Jewish settlement of Khaibar. Weeks later Muhammad attacked and plundered Khaibar.
INTRODUCTION
In March of 628 A.D., (6 A.H.), Muhammad attempted to make the lesser pilgrimage to Mecca. Muhammad had had a vision of going to Mecca and venerating at the Kaba.[1]. The Arabs in charge of Mecca refused to allow Muhammad to enter Mecca and sent their army out to stop him. They did not want it to appear that they were weak and Muhammad had done something against their will. Instead of entering Mecca, Muhammad and the Meccans made a treaty known as the Treaty of Hudaybiyya. This treaty was humiliating to the Muslims. Both Umar and Abu Bakr complained about the treaty's provisions.
Surprisingly, as he returned to Medina, he proclaimed the Meccan rejection of his pilgrimage, and the humiliating treaty, a "victory". Muhammad attempted to mask his degrading compromise with the Meccans by claiming to have a revelation found in Sura 48:1 -
"We have given you a glorious victory so that God may forgive you your past and future sins".
To insure his followers that he had indeed won a victory Muhammad even found a source for the spoils of war. Muhammad promised them the booty of Khaibar. Six weeks later Muhammad attacked Khaibar, conquered the Jews there, and distributed the spoils of war.
Note [1] - I did not find any reference to this vision at the beginning of the story of Hudaybiyya, however, this vision is referred to twice in source material. Further, the Quran mentions the dream Muhammad had to go to the Kaba in 48:27 (given later).
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Philippines Offers Muslim Rebels Self-Determination
2) MUHAMMAD AND THE TREATY OF HUDAYBIYYA
Prior Posts concerning the Hudna Negotiations:
1) Manila Making Offers to Terrorists ?!?
2) The Phillipine Government Will Review the Previous Hudna & Sign Up For the Next One, The Jihad Continues, A Success
By Douglas Bakshian Cotabato, Philippines
For the first time, the Philippine government has offered self-determination to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, or MILF, which is fighting for a Muslim homeland in the southern Philippines. While both sides welcome the development as a breakthrough, much work remains ahead to hammer out the details of any settlement. Douglas Bakshian reports from Cotabato, in the southern Philippines, on the latest in a troubled peace process.
The Philippine government's offer to grant extensive self-government rights to Muslim communities in the south is unprecedented.
"It is a breakthrough because since the peace process started in 1975 this is the first time that the government is offering recognition of the right to self-determination," said Rudy Rodil, with the government's negotiating panel.
The Philippines is a mostly Christian nation, but the population in the southern islands is largely Muslim. For centuries, Muslims have complained about mistreatment by the national government in Manila. Over more than 30 years, a violent separatist insurgency has claimed more than 120,000 lives in the south.
...
The Hudna Negotiations continue, the Phillipino Infidels in their ignorance are bearing their throats for a future slaughter...
MUHAMMAD AND THE TREATY OF HUDAYBIYYA
by Silas
ABSTRACT
During 628 A.D. Muhammad attempted to make a pilgrimage to the Kaba in Mecca. As he neared Meccan troops opposed him and forbid him to proceed to Mecca. However, the Meccans entered into negotiations with him. About ten miles outside of Mecca, by the spring of Hudaybiyya, Muhammad and the Meccans concluded a treaty known as the Treaty of Hudaybiyya. This treaty humiliated the Muslims and Muhammad. Later as he journeyed home, Muhammad told his followers that the affair at Hudaybiyya was in fact a "victory". As proof of the victory Muhammad promised his followers that they would have the "booty" of the Jewish settlement of Khaibar. Weeks later Muhammad attacked and plundered Khaibar.
INTRODUCTION
In March of 628 A.D., (6 A.H.), Muhammad attempted to make the lesser pilgrimage to Mecca. Muhammad had had a vision of going to Mecca and venerating at the Kaba.[1]. The Arabs in charge of Mecca refused to allow Muhammad to enter Mecca and sent their army out to stop him. They did not want it to appear that they were weak and Muhammad had done something against their will. Instead of entering Mecca, Muhammad and the Meccans made a treaty known as the Treaty of Hudaybiyya. This treaty was humiliating to the Muslims. Both Umar and Abu Bakr complained about the treaty's provisions.
Surprisingly, as he returned to Medina, he proclaimed the Meccan rejection of his pilgrimage, and the humiliating treaty, a "victory". Muhammad attempted to mask his degrading compromise with the Meccans by claiming to have a revelation found in Sura 48:1 -
"We have given you a glorious victory so that God may forgive you your past and future sins".
To insure his followers that he had indeed won a victory Muhammad even found a source for the spoils of war. Muhammad promised them the booty of Khaibar. Six weeks later Muhammad attacked Khaibar, conquered the Jews there, and distributed the spoils of war.
Note [1] - I did not find any reference to this vision at the beginning of the story of Hudaybiyya, however, this vision is referred to twice in source material. Further, the Quran mentions the dream Muhammad had to go to the Kaba in 48:27 (given later).
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Philippines Offers Muslim Rebels Self-Determination
2) MUHAMMAD AND THE TREATY OF HUDAYBIYYA
Prior Posts concerning the Hudna Negotiations:
1) Manila Making Offers to Terrorists ?!?
2) The Phillipine Government Will Review the Previous Hudna & Sign Up For the Next One, The Jihad Continues, A Success
Friday, March 09, 2007
DAR AL HARB / ISLAM - PHILLIPINES: THE PHILIPINE GOVERNMENT WILL REVIEW THE PREVIOUS HUDNA & SIGN UP FOR THE NEXT ONE, THE JIHAD CONTINUES, A SUCCESS
Philippines, OIC to review 11-year-old peace pact with Muslim rebels
MANILA, Philippines: The Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Philippines will meet in July with leaders of a former Muslim rebel group to review an 11-year-old peace pact amid complaints implementation has been slow, officials said Friday.
One sticking point is the continued detention of Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari, who signed a historic 1996 peace agreement with the government but was arrested in 2001 after his followers launched a deadly attack.
"He is the chairman of the MNLF and he should be there in all the talks regarding the peace agreement," Sayed El-Masry, the OIC special envoy, told reporters after meeting with Misuari and government officials in Manila.
El-Masry said the OIC asked the Philippines to allow Misuari to travel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the July meeting, and that Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza and Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno promised to help.
Misuari's lawyers will ask for a dismissal of the case if no evidence is produced, El-Masry said.
...
and
Philippine government and Muslim rebels to meet in Jeddah
MANILA (Reuters) - Representatives from the Philippine government, the country's oldest Muslim rebel group and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) will meet in Saudi Arabia in July to try and salvage a key peace deal.
Sayyed Kassem El-Masry, an adviser to the OIC secretary-general, also said on Friday that the organization, which brokered the 1996 peace agreement between Manila and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), expected the MNLF's detained chairman, Nur Misuari, to attend the July 10-15 meeting.
"He has to be there," El-Masry told reporters in Manila, where he met with government officials to hammer out preparations for the conference and reiterated the OIC's call for Misuari, currently under house arrest in the capital, to be released.
"We made our good offices with the government in order to expedite this legal process to allow Misuari to attend," El-Masry said. "We hope that by July this legal hurdle will be finished and he's able to attend."
Heralded as the solution to decades of bitter fighting between Muslim separatists and the mainly Catholic central government in Manila, the 1996 agreement floundered due to a lack of funds, poor implementation and opposition from hardliners.
Manila would like to salvage the pact before any deal with a rival rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and end a conflict that has killed more than 120,000 people and stunted development in a resource-rich region.
Talks with the MILF have been stalled since May over the size and wealth of a proposed ancestral homeland for 3 million Muslims in the south.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Philippines, OIC to review 11-year-old peace pact with Muslim rebels
2) Philippine government and Muslim rebels to meet in Jeddah
MANILA, Philippines: The Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Philippines will meet in July with leaders of a former Muslim rebel group to review an 11-year-old peace pact amid complaints implementation has been slow, officials said Friday.
One sticking point is the continued detention of Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari, who signed a historic 1996 peace agreement with the government but was arrested in 2001 after his followers launched a deadly attack.
"He is the chairman of the MNLF and he should be there in all the talks regarding the peace agreement," Sayed El-Masry, the OIC special envoy, told reporters after meeting with Misuari and government officials in Manila.
El-Masry said the OIC asked the Philippines to allow Misuari to travel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the July meeting, and that Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza and Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno promised to help.
Misuari's lawyers will ask for a dismissal of the case if no evidence is produced, El-Masry said.
...
and
Philippine government and Muslim rebels to meet in Jeddah
MANILA (Reuters) - Representatives from the Philippine government, the country's oldest Muslim rebel group and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) will meet in Saudi Arabia in July to try and salvage a key peace deal.
Sayyed Kassem El-Masry, an adviser to the OIC secretary-general, also said on Friday that the organization, which brokered the 1996 peace agreement between Manila and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), expected the MNLF's detained chairman, Nur Misuari, to attend the July 10-15 meeting.
"He has to be there," El-Masry told reporters in Manila, where he met with government officials to hammer out preparations for the conference and reiterated the OIC's call for Misuari, currently under house arrest in the capital, to be released.
"We made our good offices with the government in order to expedite this legal process to allow Misuari to attend," El-Masry said. "We hope that by July this legal hurdle will be finished and he's able to attend."
Heralded as the solution to decades of bitter fighting between Muslim separatists and the mainly Catholic central government in Manila, the 1996 agreement floundered due to a lack of funds, poor implementation and opposition from hardliners.
Manila would like to salvage the pact before any deal with a rival rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and end a conflict that has killed more than 120,000 people and stunted development in a resource-rich region.
Talks with the MILF have been stalled since May over the size and wealth of a proposed ancestral homeland for 3 million Muslims in the south.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Philippines, OIC to review 11-year-old peace pact with Muslim rebels
2) Philippine government and Muslim rebels to meet in Jeddah
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