April 18, 2009, GMA News, 1:28 PM, MILF represented in key OIC conference in Jeddah,

April 18, 2009, GMA News, 1:28 PM, MILF represented in key OIC conference in Jeddah,

MANILA, Philippines — For the first time, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has been invited to a key conference of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).

The MILF said on its website (www.luwaran.net) it sent two representatives to the two-day Minority and Muslim Affairs Department conference in Saudi Arabia.

“In all past conferences including the Summit and Foreign Ministers’ Conferences, the MILF had been invited as part of the Moro National Liberation Front delegation, which is still recognized as the ‘sole representative of the Bangsamoro people’ to the 57-strong pan-Islamic conference," it said.

But the MILF did not name its delegates to the conference.

It said an unnamed OIC official relayed the invitation to the MILF during a talk with MILF delegation in Manila last March 10.

Heading the MILF delegation at the March meeting were peace panel member Maulana Bobby Alonto and Abdullah Camlian, head of the MILF Technical Committee.

They met and conferred with Sayeed Kaseem Al-Masry, a political adviser to OIC Secretary-General Ekmelledin Ihsanuglo, and other OIC officials before the GRP-MNLF-OIC Tripartite Conference started to review how far the GRP-MNLF Final Agreement of September 2, 1996 Agreement was implemented or unimplemented.

According to the MILF, the Jeddah meet aims to collect information data and statistics on Muslim communities in non-Islamic countries; promote contact with them; and look after their interests while observing the sovereignty of the States where they live. - GMANews.TV