Musharraf urges local Muslims: Abandon terrorism

Visiting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf called on Filipino Muslims yesterday to abandon terrorism and secession, and work with the government to bring peace and development to Mindanao.

Speaking before a joint session of Congress at the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City, Musharraf said Pakistan will continue to help the Philippines promote "progressive dialogues" with the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front under the auspices of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).

"I urge the Muslims in the Philippines, my brothers and sisters in faith, to shun the path of confrontation, suppress extremism and contribute to the socioeconomic progress of their country with patriotic fervor," he said.

"Terrorism is a threat to modern societies, and the world must cooperate to fight this evil... In the globalized world of today, terrorism threatens to destabilize modern societies. We must fight together to fight this danger," the visiting leader said.

Musharraf said Pakistan, a major US ally in the fight against terrorism, will support the Philippines’ bid for observer status in the OIC, of which it is a key member.

"We admire the courage and determination of the Philippine government in the peace process initiated by it," he said.

"It is our earnest hope that the peace process would lead to lasting peace and stability in the country and the region as a whole."

Filipino Muslims must strive to be "dynamic, vibrant, progressive and a loyal part of the Philippines," and contribute to the country’s strength and prosperity, Musharraf said.

President Arroyo said Musharraf had informed her that OIC countries are in the process of reorganizing the group and are "sympathetic" to the Philippines’ bid.

Mrs. Arroyo said she and Musharraf agreed that the fight against terrorism should not be limited to military fronts alone, but must also cover social, political and cultural fronts.

"The interfaith dialogue and the enlightened moderation even in the madrasahs, that’s a very, very important lesson I’ve learned from what he is doing in Pakistan and we should work together on that," she said.

The President said Musharraf had agreed to cooperate in moderating the curricula and teachings of the madrasahs, or Islamic schools, some of which have been branded as cultivating extremism.

Mrs. Arroyo said she and Musharraf also agreed to boost intelligence cooperation to combat terrorism and to bolster peace talks with the MILF.

"On the military aspect, we agreed to enhance our intelligence cooperation," Mrs. Arroyo told reporters after the meeting.

"It’s very, very important in the world of international terrorism."

Mrs. Arroyo said Philippine authorities would work closely with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, which had been tracking down key operatives of the Taliban after the hard-line Islamic militia were toppled from power by US-led forces in 2001.

"By allying with each other, we have a better chance to dismantle terrorists’ networks, marginalize their influence and push the frontiers of development and social justice to win the peace our peoples seek and deserve," she said.

Mrs. Arroyo also announced that National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales will go to Pakistan in June to meet with his counterparts at the ISI to discuss efforts to enhance intelligence exchange, particularly technical intelligence.

"We appreciate the initiatives of President Musharraf on working together in confronting the manifold threats and challenges brought about by an ever-changing world, especially in our pursuit to accomplish the twin goals of security and development of our respective countries and our peoples," she said.

The two leaders did not hold a joint press conference as earlier announced, but Mrs. Arroyo later met with reporters and gave some details of their meeting.

Senate President Franklin Drilon welcomed yesterday Musharraf’s statement that he supports the peace process in Mindanao.

He also called on Musharraf to back the Philippines’ bid to acquire observer status in the OIC.

Mrs. Arroyo and Musharraf also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding serving as a "legal framework to facilitate cooperation and inter-operability between the security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies of the two countries."

The agreement was signed by Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes and Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan.

The MOU is expected to strengthen the defense, economic, cultural and political relations between the Philippines and Pakistan.

The first document was a joint agreement between the Philippines and Pakistan on combating terrorism and other crimes.

The second agreement is on the abolition of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports and the facilitation of issuance of entry visas to holders of official passports.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Franklin Ebdalin and Secretary Khan signed the document in front of Mrs. Arroyo and Musharraf.

The two countries also signed the program of cultural exchanges between the Philippines and Pakistan as an implementation of the 1961 Cultural Agreement envisioned to promote people-to-people links and reaffirm the commitment of both countries to cultivate and develop closer cultural relations between their peoples.

National Commission for Culture and the Arts chairman Ambeth Ocampo, along with Muhammad Ali Durrani of the Pakistan Ministry of Culture and Sports, signed the accord.

The two countries also signed a document formalizing the business agreements between the Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC) and United Marketing of Pakistan for the supply of pharmaceuticals from Pakistan.

Teddie Elson Rivera, PITC executive vice president, and Muhammad Asghar Khan, chief executive officer of United Marketing in Pakistan, signed the agreement.

Also present during the signing of the business agreement were PITC president Roberto Pagdanganan and Humayun Akhtar Khan of the Pakistan Ministry of Commerce.

Mrs. Arroyo laid out a red carpet and full military honors for Musharraf at Malacañang, where dozens of well-wishers waved flags of both countries.

Musharraf received full military honors complete with a 21-gun salute during the welcome ceremony shortly after 10 a.m. at the Malacañang grounds yesterday.

Mrs. Arroyo and First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo received the visiting Pakistani leader and First Lady Madame Sehba Musharraf.

Musharraf will fly to Indonesia tomorrow after his three-day state visit here.

He is the first Pakistani leader to visit the Philippines, while Mrs. Arroyo’s father, President Diosdado Macapagal, was the first Filipino head of state to visit Pakistan in 1962. — With reports from Paolo Romero, Christina Mendez, AFP