Gov't welcomes arrival of Malaysian premier, envoys for peace deal signing

MANILA -- The Philippine government welcomed the arrival of Malaysian Prime Minister Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak and other foreign dignitaries who will witness the historic signing of the framework agreement between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Malacañang Monday.

Aside from the Malaysian leader, a delegation from Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) led by Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu is also attending the event.

"I am grateful for their participation in this very significant event which will mark the beginning of peace for the Bangsamoros," Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles said.

She said the attendance of many foreign leaders to the ceremonial signing "confirms the broad support we have been getting from the international community."

"The presence of OIC Secretary-General Ihsanoglu and the rest of the OIC delegation indicate their support for the Philippine government's pursuit of a common development track and vision for the MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)," she added.

Composed of 57 member states, the OIC brokered the 1992-1996 GPH-MNLF peace negotiations that led to the signing of the Final Peace Agreement on September 2, 1996.

Malaysia, on the other hand, has been facilitating the GPH-MILF peace talks since 2001.

As of Sunday, those who have confirmed presence to the signing ceremony are ambassadors and emissaries from Egypt, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, US, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Singapore, Turkey, China, Cuba, Russia, Indonesia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Angola, Netherlands, Laos, Thailand, Pakistan, Norway, Canada, Australia, Brunei, among others.

Also witnessing the signing rites are leaders and representatives from foreign development agencies who have been supportive of the Mindanao peace process.

These include the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, The Asia Foundation, United Nations Development Programme, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Australian Agency for International Development, Conciliation Resources, European Union, United Nations Children’s Fund International Labour Organization, World Bank, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United States Agency for International Development, Muhammadiyah, International Committee of the Red Cross, among others.

The signing will also be attended by the First Family, cabinet secretaries, civil society organization heads, and local and national government executives.

The GPH-MILF Framework Agreement is dubbed "mother agreement" that serves as a roadmap for the creation of the new Bangsamoro entity that will replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. (Jill Beltran/Sunnex)