Manila - The Philippine government, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and the Organization of the Islamic Conference are set to review the 1996 peace agreement between the government and the MNLF next week in Saudi Arabia.
In a news conference on Wednesday, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told reporters that the November 10 to 12 meeting in Jeddah would be in preparation for another tripartite meeting.
Nur Misuari, the detained leader of the MNLF, was earlier allowed by the court to travel to Saudi for the said meeting.
Ermita said the review would include the extent of the agreement`s implementation under the expanded Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) law.
The peace agreement, which was signed on Sept. 2, 1996, aimed to bring lasting peace and development in the ARMM. However, critics say there were disparities in the interpretation of the agreement between the MNLF and the government.
But Ermita said the government did its part of the agreement by appointing several Muslims in key positions such as in the Commission on Elections and Court of Appeals. He said some Shariah courts had also been established as part of the agreement.
He said the Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA) had also been revived as part of the agreement. The SPDA, which was created during the Ramos administration, is under the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.
Source: www.gmanews.tv (8 November 2007)