Muslim mission to visit southern Philippines
hostage island
MANILA, Oct 15 (AFP) - A
fact-finding mission from the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) would visit the
southern Philippine island of Jolo, where Muslim rebels are holding five hostages, a
diplomatic source said Sunday.
The 22-member mission, led by
Indonesian Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab, would also include representatives from Libya,
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Senegal.
Somalia and Brunei had backed
out the last minute, the source said.
The mission would look into the
progress of a 1996 OIC-brokered peace pact between Manila and the Moro National Liberation
Front (MNLF), formerly the Philippines' largest Muslim insurgent group.
MNLF founder Nur Misuari, now a
governor of a Muslim autonomous region in the south, had in June complained to OIC foreign
ministers that Manila had reneged on certain conditions of the agreement, including
funding.
Manila has denied the
allegations and agreed to the OIC mission.
The source said the mission
would be split into two groups, one to visit the central provinces of the main southern
island of Mindanao, where an MNLF splinter group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
is currently engaged in a fierce war with Manila.
The second group would fly to
the the southern city of Zamboanga and nearby islands of Basilan and Jolo, where a third
rebel group, the Abu Sayyaf operates.
Manila has given its go-ahead
for the trip and would provide the delegation with security. However, it has forbidden OIC
representatives to meet with MILF or Abu Sayyaf leaders.
The delegation would check on
infrastructure projects in Jolo, one of the country's poorest Muslim-dominated areas.
The Abu Sayyaf is currently on
the run from a military offensive ordered by President Joseph Estrada to rescue a group of
hostages. An American, three Malaysians and a Filipino are still in rebel hands.
The MILF meanwhile has said it
would intensify its guerrilla attacks against the government during the four-day OIC visit
to draw attention to its cause. The group was denied observer status in the OIC in June.
The Philippine government has
drawn guidelines or "terms of reference" for the OIC mission to assert its
sovereignty, the source said. This includes asking clearance from the national government
before visiting areas in the south and refusing invitations from Muslim leaders.
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