ENVOY HIGHLIGHTS TURKEY'S ROLE IN PHILIPPINES PEACE DEAL

Ankara, 2 Rabi’ul Akhir 1437/12/January 2016 (MINA) – Turkey’s ambassador to the Philippines has highlighted Ankara’s role in the Southeast Asian country’s peace process, saying it illustrates the tremendous faith Manila has placed in Turkey.

The decommissioning body is chaired by Turkey which shows the trust in our country, Mustafa Pulat told Anadolu Agency on Monday,(01/12).

There is also a consensus about having a meeting (of those involved) in Turkey as well.

Pulat, who succeeded another Turkish ambassador, Haydar Berk, as the head of the seven-man Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) for the peace process, leads a body which is overseeing the smooth decommissioning of an initial 145 combatants from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and 75 crew-serve and high-powered armaments.

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Decommissioning is one of the important components of the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro initially signed in 2014 by the government and the MILF which seeks to return normalcy to communities affected by decades of armed conflict in southern Mindanao, World Bulletin quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

On Monday, Pulat Turkey’s ex-ambassador to Nigeria called the initial decommissioning of 145 MILF members in June “a huge milestone for the peace process.”

“The plan is that after the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which aims to seal peace in the country’s Muslim south] is approved, 30 percent of MILF members will be disarmed, and then after a referendum, another 35 percent.”

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He added that the decommissioning body did not, however, have a sole responsibility of controlling the disarmament process, it is also responsible for helping reintroduce MILF militants into society.

Passage of the BBL has been delayed by at least ten months, as lawmakers seek to iron out clauses they say contravene the country’s constitution.

The statements from both sides remain positive, underlined Pulat.

The peace deal is aimed at bringing an end to 17 years of negotiations and a decades-old armed conflict, while granting Muslims greater political autonomy.

The BBL was initially set to be passed by March, but a clash between elite police and Moro rebels in January left 67 people include 44 police commandos dead, endangering the peace process.

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Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the son of Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the Philippines for 21 years, rejected the original bill in June, saying it was unconstitutional, and will “lead us to perdition”. (T/Imt/R07)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)