MNLF panel in Manila for talks on stalled peace accord

MANILA, Philippines - Members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) peace panel started arriving in Manila yesterday for three days of exploratory talks on the stalled implementation of the 1996 peace agreement that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation had brokered.

The OIC has set Sept. 6-8 for the government and MNLF to meet at the   Saudi Arabian embassy in Makati, MNLF spokesman Emmanuel Fontanilla told The STAR in a telephone interview.

“The MNLF has accepted the OIC invitation, but we are not aware if the government panel will also be present,” he said.

The meeting has no specific agenda and has nothing to do with deliberations on the Bangsamoro Bill in the Senate and the House of Representatives, Fontanilla said.

The OIC wants the government and MNLF to meet to synchronize their 1996 peace agreement and the agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Heading the MNLF panel is Absalum Cerveza, who will represent Nur Misuari as he cannot attend the meeting because of a standing warrant of arrest against him, he added.

However, discussing the final implementation of the 1996 accord at this point might face a legal problem because the peace agreements with the MILF and the MNLF cover the same people, Fontanilla said.