Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu was speaking at the 4th Tripartite Meeting between the OIC, the Philippine government and the MNLF at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah. The meeting will conclude on Wednesday.
“To ensure that the people of the southern Philippines reap the fruits of peace and stability, it must be accompanied with economic and infrastructural development through reconstruction, redressal of injustice, appropriate resettlement of the displaced and a fair and equitable distribution of the resources,” the OIC chief said.
“The achievement of the peace agreement should be accompanied by a comprehensive developmental process so that the community in southern Philippines may have tangible evidence of the positive changes brought about by the peace, which will consolidate and further entrench peace itself.”
Ihsanoglu noted that the OIC, which brokered the peace agreement and hosted a series of meetings in Jeddah, Istanbul and Manila, had put in a great deal of efforts to break the stalemate on the full implementation of the peace agreement. He emphasized that “the group will do its level best to bring closer the views of the two parties.”
He urged them to work out ways to overcome the difficulties and obstacles that stood in the way of the full implementation of the peace process.
Ihsanoglu invited both parties to reach common grounds and engage in an in-depth, transparent and sincere discussion on the issue of the delineation of the autonomous region, which is meant to be defined through a transparent and integral referendum.
This is in addition to transition arrangements, including the formation of a transitional government and agreement on the sharing of natural resources and mineral wealth.
The OIC chief welcomed both parties for the trust they have placed in the OIC and for their commitment to the path of negotiation and dialogue for conflict resolution, stressing that the group should spare no effort toward the attainment of aspired goals.
He also noted that suggestions made by both parties would be taken into consideration in favor of a compromise solution that would ensure justice, peace and development for Muslims in the southern Philippines.
