Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 09/05/2017
Upon invitation from the Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and in implementation of the resolutions of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers on the question of the Muslims in Southern Philippines, a Consultation Session of the Bangsamoro Coordination Forum (BCF) was held at the Headquarters of the OIC in Jeddah on 8th May 2017. Ambassador Sayed El-Masry, OIC Secretary General Peace Envoy for the Southern Philippines, presided over the meeting. Invitations were issued in accordance with an agreed formula known as the Jeddah formula.
The BCF was established by the OIC on 18th May 2010 after securing the agreement of both professor NurMisuari, Chairman of the Moro National liberation Front (MNLF) and Hajj Murad Ibrahim, Chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to establish a mechanism for coordination between the two fronts in order to consolidate their movement towards achieving the aspiration of the Bangsamoro people for a just and lasting peaceful resolution to their problem.
The OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) asked the BCF to discuss ways and means for finding common ground between the 1976 Tripoli Peace Agreement, the 1996 Jakarta Peace Agreement and the Comprehensive Agreement of Bangsamoro (CAB) in order to harmonize the two peace tracks and preserve the gains contained in these agreements which the MNLF and the MILF mutually recognize and respect.
It is to be recalled that the OIC always maintained that the 1976 Tripoli Agreement and the 1996 Jakarta Agreement continue to formulate the basis for any settlement of the conflict.
It has become an urgent need at present to formulateconcrete proposals to achieve this goal in view of the new initiatives of the current Philippines administration todevise a cardinal solution to the problem of unconstitutionality that has been facing the peace treaties for the last forty years.
During the meeting, the participants exchanged views about the recent development, in particular, regarding the work of the Bangsamoro Transition Council (BTC) which is entrusted with drafting the basic law for the Autonomous region. The meeting took a strong stand against any attempt to come up with a diluted version of the draft bill during the congressional review.
The meeting also discussed the enlargement of the BCF to include other stakeholders including Bangsamoro civil society organisations and the qualification for membership. The meeting decided to adopt an incremental and inclusive approach towards the question of strengthening and enlarging the BCF.
The BCF members welcomes the promise of H. E. President Duterte of the Philippines to lift the arrest warrant against chairman Misuari and to restore his freedom. The OIC Special Envoy for Peace Process in Southern Philippines and Chairman of the BCF, Amb Sayed El-Masry declared that the “OIC has always maintained that Chairman Misuari is indispensable for the peace process adding that we were assured by the Philippines Authority that they will work to remove any impediment on his participation in the peace process.” He expressed hope that he will be able to attend the next formal session of the BCF in Abidjan on the margin of the CFM meeting from 10th – 12th July 2017.
Members of the BCF thanked the OIC and secretary General for its continued support, and reiterated their pledge that they continue to cooperate with the OIC and among themselves to fulfill the aspiration of the Bangsamoro people.
