Philippine President Meets Rebel leader

Philippine President Meets Rebel leader

Manila, Philippines — Benigno Aquino III, Philippine President, met with Moro Islamic Liberation Front Chairman, Murad Ibrahim, in Tokyo to discuss diplomatic undertaking to end the decades of insurgency in Southern Philippines. MILF has an 11,000 members scattered across parts of Mindanao dominated by Muslims. MILF fights for a sub-state independence in certain areas of Mindanao with Manila as the seat of the central government.

The peace talk with the chief of MILF, a major rebel group in the Philippines, was the first time in 14 years. The last time a Philippine President opened up peace talks with a rebel group chair took place 14 years ago. Marvic Leonen was chosen as the chief negotiator for the government of the Philippines. The attempt by the Philippine Government has been thought to be a good start for peace to fully flourish in Mindanao, Southern Philippines.

Aquino’s move was considered a grand and magnificent gesture according to MILF chief, Murad Ibrahim. Japan, the venue of the peace talk, was chosen because of its strategic location being the closest in location among all 4 member countries of the Int’l Contract Group. The group aims to promote trust among two conflicting parties. Other member countries include Britain, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Endless conflicts between government forces and Moro rebels have caused thousands of people displaced from their homes. An estimate of 120,000 people has already been killed by the never-ending insurgencies in Southern Philippines.

Posted by James Fried on Saturday August 06 2011, 5:10 PM EST. Ref: Yahoo. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0