Duterte, Misuari Meeting Cordial, Says Malacanang

President Rodrigo Duterte meets with MNLF chairman Prof. Nur Misuari at Presidential Guest House in Davao City on March 27. Misuari is accompanied by his wife, Madame Tarhata and son, Abdulkarim.

Manila, Philippines, 01 Rajab 1438/29 March 2017 (MINA) – President Duterte and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founder Nur Misuari discussed on Monday ways to achieve peace in Mindanao in a meeting described as “warm” and “cordial.”

Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella could not provide details about the closed-door meeting of Duterte and Misuari in Davao City, merely saying that the discussions were about the situation in Mindanao, Philstar reported o Wednesday.

“(It) was a close-in meeting so… Basically, it was a reaffirmation of the importance of securing just and lasting peace and development for Mindanao. It was warm, cordial, positive,” Abella said.

Abella could not say whether the two talked about measures seeking to establish a federal government in the country and proposed changes to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Misuari founded the MNLF in 1972 to advocate the establishment of an independent Moro state in Mindanao. The group and the Philippine government signed the Tripoli Agreement in 1976 which paved way for the creation of the ARMM two decades later.

Misuari, who was accused of being the mastermind of the bloody Zamboanga siege in 2013, met with Duterte in Malacañang last November after the court suspended the implementation of an arrest warrant against him. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)