Filtered By: Topstories
News

Duterte joining MNLF team in Jeddah talks


Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte will join a delegation of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in the tripartite meeting with the government and the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia this March. Online newspaper MindaNews (www.mindanews.com) said Duterte agreed to a request by former MNLF chairman Nur Misuari to join the delegation as an observer. Following a "hostage situation" in Sulu involving Metro Manila military commander Maj. Gen. Ben Mohammad Dolorfino last weekend, a date for the tripartite meeting was set for March 17 to 18. Duterte did not elaborate on why he was included in the delegation but said he has been a staunch advocate for the release of Misuari. He added he has already arranged that if Misuari be freed, it would be in Davao where he will provide "board and lodging" to the detained Moro leader. The OIC, which brokered the GRP-MNLF peace talks concluded in the 1996 final peace agreement, has invited the government and the MNLF to the meeting to review the implementation of the peace agreement, recommend proposals, and set up monitoring mechanisms. Misuari has been detained since January 2002 on rebellion charges for the November 2001 uprising of his men in Sulu and Cabatangan in Zamboanga City. - GMANews.TV

LOADING CONTENT