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Monday, July 01, 2002
OIC recognizes new Armm gov't, ups grants
MANILA -- Finally, the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) has acknowledged the new leadership in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm), even ordering member states and institutions to increase grants for Mindanao's development.
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Eduardo Ermita said the OIC has directed the Islamic Development Bank to increase its economic, financial, technical and material assistance to Mindanao through the autonomous region.
On the request of the Philippines to be granted observer status, the OIC is "seriously considering" the matter, said acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable Jr.
He also said the OIC's recognition of the new Armm officials was made during the 29th Islamic Conference, which ended last June 27, in Khartoum, Sudan.
The new government of Armm took over in November last year after successful gubernatorial elections, with Moro National Liberation Front executive committee chairman Parouk Hussin getting elected as the new governor replacing Nur Misuari, who is the MNLF chairman emeritus.
Misuari is now detained in Sta. Rosa, Laguna for rebellion charges following his follower's short-lived revolt last year in Sulu, where over 100 people died.
Observer status
Ermita, who is on his way back to Manila after attending the OIC's annual meeting in Sudan last week, also relayed to Afable the OIC's assurance on the country's request for observer status.
"The secretary general of the OIC, Abdulwahed Belkeziz, is seriously considering the request of the Philippines to be granted OIC observer status," Afable said in a statement.
Belkeziz has also informed Ermita that they to "do not see any problem in granting the request of the Philippines for observer status."
Manila believes OIC representation would be crucial in helping to solve the decades long Muslim insurgency in Mindanao.
The observer status, however, would only be granted once a 1996 OIC-brokered peace pact between the government and the former Muslim separatist group, the MNLF, was fully implemented, Afable said.
"An OIC team will soon visit the Philippines to look into the implementation of the agreement and should the team report positively, then the application for the (government) as OIC observer will be immediately submitted to the OIC secretariat for consideration," he said.
"...And should the team report positively, then the application of the Philippines for observer status will be immediately submitted to the OIC Secretariat for consideration," said Afable.
Lived up to
The Philippine government maintains it has lived up to the provisions of the 1996 peace pact, the centerpiece of which is the creation of a Muslim autonomous region in the southern island of Mindanao.
Misuari accused the government last year of reneging on certain provisions of the peace accord and eventually led a bloody but failed rebellion in his island stronghold of Jolo, Sulu.
More than 100 people were killed in the uprising, which was crushed by government forces and forced Misuari to flee to Malaysia. He was later arrested by Malaysian authorities and returned to Manila, where he is in jail on charges of rebellion.
The OIC also issued a resolution recognizing the ceasefire agreement between the Philippine government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which that was signed in Tripoli, Libya in August last year.
It appealed to member states to extend humanitarian assistance to the people in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao.
The MILF splintered from the MNLF in the late 1970s and was excluded from the 1996 peace accord. (Sunnex/With AFP) |
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