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By Salim Ali, Contributor
Nur Misuari, the founder of the Moro National
Liberation Front and “Maas” (old wise man) to many Filipino
Muslims of the Bangsamoro movement, has been restored to his
preeminent place in the MNLF.
This happened in Tripoli, Libya, in the presence
of the Philippine Government’s Presidential Adviser on the Peace
Process, Secretary Jesus Dureza, under the auspices of Saif Al-Islam
Qaddafi—son of the Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and chairman of
the Qaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation.
The Foundation has been a generous donor to
Mindanao Development projects for many years. Libya has been a good
friend of the Philippines since the Marcos regime.
It has continued to help explain the Philippine
situation with sympathy for the Philippine government’s position
at the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which is a kind
of United Nations made up of countries with Muslim-majority
populations.
The meeting in Tripoli, on May 17 to 18, was a
very special one.
Representatives of various factions of the MNLF,
some of whom caused a furor in Mindanao when they ousted Nur Misuari
from the chairmanship of the Front, were present. So were
Misuari’s representatives (including his spiritual adviser,
Shariff Zain Jali). Also present were former close associates of
Misuari in their younger days and who have now become leaders with
their own substantial following among the Moros, such as Dr. Parouk
Hussin, who like Maas Misuari had been governor of the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
The meeting among the MNLF factional leaders
resulted in the Tripoli Declaration, signed by all sides including
Misuari’s representatives. The declaration, with the backing of
Libya’s leader Muammar Qaddafi and Saif Al-Islam Qaddafi, should
result in lasting unity among MNLF members and could lead to unity
even with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The MILF is supposed to be having negotiations
to arrive at a final peace agreement with the Philippine government.
But those negotiations are stalled—although the ceasefire between
MILF forces and government troops is being observed by both sides.
Here is the complete text of the Tripoli
Declaration. It binds all MNLF members to unite and reconcile. It
creates a transition leadership and unification committee whose
membership has on the top of the list Nur Misuari. The leaders of
the main MNLF factions, including those who ousted Misuari, and the
neutral Moro leaders.
Tripoli Declaration on Unity and Reconciliation
of the MNLF Leadership
Tripoli 17-18th of May 2008
On the kind invitation of Qaddafi International
Charity and Development Foundation, the leaders of the Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) met in Tripoli, Great Socialist People’s
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from May 17th to 18th 2008.
The sole purpose of the meeting was to reach
consensus and final agreement to resolve issues of contention among
the MNLF groups with the noble aim of achieving unification,
reconciliation, and solidarity.
The leaders agreed on the following:
1. To form a transition leadership and
unification committee to be composed of the following:
A – Nur Misuari
B – Muslimin Sema
C – Dr. Parouk Hussin
D – Mujahab Hashim
E – Alvarez Isnaji
F – Yusop Jikiri
2. This committee is the sole legitimate body of
the MNLF and the only one authorized to enter into any negotiation
and agreement.
3. This committee shall be the one to agree on
the appropriate way of resolving leadership crisis through
democratic process before the end of June 2008.
4. This committee shall prepare a manifesto and
a program of action that shall focus on the political,
socioeconomic, and other concerns of the Bangsamoro people.
5. This committee shall undertake discussions in
order to consolidate the peace process between the Government of the
Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the MNLF, including the issues
of empowerment, both economic and political, particularly the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governance.
6. This committee shall enter into dialogue with
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) with a view to cement the
unity and solidarity of the two fronts as agreed in previous
meetings, with H.E. Saif Al-Islam Qaddafi, Chairman of Qaddafi
International Charity and Development Foundation (QICDF).
7. The transition committee shall convene the
Bangsamoro people’s congress that shall finally decide on the
issue of leadership and adopt a program of action before the end of
August 2008.
8. The leaders of the MNLF committed themselves
to solely focus their attention on advancing the cause of unity and
solidarity, and abide by the decisions of the transition committee.
9. Furthermore, the leaders of the MNLF
committed to refrain from taking any actions, and making any
announcement contrary to this declaration.
10. The leaders of the MNLF call on the
Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) to reactivate
the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) in order to perform its
functions as mandated under the September 2, 1996 Final Peace
Agreement.
11. The leaders of the MNLF call upon the
Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) to grant general
amnesty to all MNLF members who have been charged with rebellion.
12. The leaders of the MNLF express their
appreciation on the initiative of the Government of the Republic of
the Philippines on its plan to establish a federal system, and urge
the GRP to involve the MNLF in this political exercise.
13. The leaders of the MNLF urge the Government
of the Republic of the Philippines to involve the MNLF in the
GRP-MILF peace talks.
The leaders of the MNLF express their sincere
appreciation and gratitude to the great leader Colonel Muammar
Qaddafi, and Saif Al-Islam Qaddafi, Chairman of the Qaddafi
International Charity and Development Foundation, for their
sustained efforts for the resolution of the MNLF leadership issue,
and their continued support for the just cause of the Bangsamoro
people, and realizing peace and development.
Issued and signed by the leaders of the MNLF on
the 18th of May 2008, in Tripoli, Libya.
Signed by: Mujahab Hashim, Hatimil Hassan,
Muslimin Sema, Parouk Hussin, Yusop Jikiri, Thambeyapa Manjoorsa,
Abdul Sahrin, Sharif Jain Jali, Alvarez Isnaji, Samsula Adju
After the MNLF leaders were duly named, they had
a meeting with Presidential Peace Adviser Dureza.
The joint press statement said, among other
things, that “during the discussions the leadership of the MNLF
expressed their concern regarding the slow pace of the
implementation of the final peace agreement of 1996, and called upon
the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, to enable the
MNLF [to handle without undue interference from the central
government?] the governance of the Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao, ARMM, and expressed their appreciation on the initiative
of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines on its plan to
establish a federal system, and urge the GRP to involve the MNLF in
this political exercise.”
“They also welcomed the good offices of the [Qaddafi
International] foundation which resulted in the release of Nur
Misuari, and called upon the government of the Philippines to issue
a general amnesty for all member[s] of the MNLF, which were accused
of rebellion.
“On his part, the presidential advisor
emphasized the commitment of the President of the Republic of the
Philippines government to continue the peace process and full
implementation of [the] peace agreement 1996, and promised to convey
their concerns to the President and Government of the Republic of
the Philippines.”
Both Mr. Dureza and the MNLF leaders expressed
thanks and appreciation for the continuous efforts of the “Great
leader of the revolution, Muammar Qaddafi, and chairman of Qaddafi
International Charity and development foundation Saif Al-Islam
Qaddafi for their sustained efforts for the resolution of the MNLF
leadership issue, and their continued support for the just cause of
the Bangsamoro People, and [for] realizing peace and development.
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