Misuari paints war scenarios in tripartite meet’s speech

COTABATO CITY – Nur Misuari’s fiery speech read by a spokesman that painted possible war scenarios in Minda­nao “amazed” participants in the tripartite meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but did not dampen the atmosphere in the gathering at all.

Formally opening at past 5 p.m. Middle Eastern time Friday, the two-day tripartite meeting – among the Moro National Liberation Front, the Philippine government, and the Organization of Islamic Conference – is aimed at resolving peacefully all misunderstandings on the implementation of the Sept. 2, 1996 government-MNLF peace accord.

Misuari, in a speech read by MNLF spokesman Al-Marin Tillah during the meeting’s opening program, chided the government for venturing into separate talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Misuari also warned of the MNLF adopting a “do-or-die” position if the government forges a separate peace pact with the MILF.

The MNLF’s secretary-general, Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema, said that despite the speech of Misuari, the front’s firebrand founding chairman, the opening program proceeded smoothly.

“Everyone was comfortable. The atmosphere was cordial and everyone, including OIC Secretary-General Ekme­liddin Ishanuglo, sounded very optimistic about a positive outcome of the two-day gathering,” Sema told The STAR via mobile phone from Jeddah.

Sema said Ishanuglo open­ly acknowledged that the perceived hitches in the implementation of the 1996 peace pact may not be immediately resolved in just one session.

The OIC, which helped broker the accord, organized the tripartite meeting – postponed four times since May 2006 – for the government and the MNLF to discuss solutions to misunderstandings on the implementation of the peace pact.

Succeeding sessions of the meeting, Sema said, would be “brainstorming dialogues” where the government, the MNLF and the OIC would discuss how to solve perceived weaknesses in the peace accord.

Lawyer Paisalin Tago, speaker of the 24-seat Regional Assembly of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said another emissary of Mi­suari, Randolph Parcasio, recommended on Misuari’s behalf the immediate creation of a Commission on Human Rights in the ARMM to look into abuses against Moro communities covered by the peace pact.

Tago and ARMM Gov. Datu Zaldy Ampatuan are part of the government’s delegation, led by Deputy Adviser on the Peace Process Hadji Nabil Tan.