Upon the invitation of the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, the leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front are due to meet in Jeddah on 7-8 May 2017 for a session of the Bangsamoro Coordination Forum (BCF) as part of the implementation of OIC Council of Ministers Resolutions. The purpose of the BCF is to provide a venue to discuss issues and concerns confronting the Bangsamoro people, including finding common grounds between the 1976 Tripoli Agreement -1996 Final Peace Agreement and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), in order to harmonize the two peace tracks and preserve the gains contained in these agreements, which the MNLF and the MILF mutually recognize and respect. It is to be recalled that the OIC maintained that the 1976 Tripoli Agreement and the 1996 Jakarta Agreement continue to formulate the basis of any settlement of the conflict. Ambassador Sayed Kassem El-Masry, Special Envoy for Peace in the Southern Philippines, will preside over the detailed discussions between the fronts. This latest meeting is a continuation of a process organized by the OIC since the 37th Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in DushanbeTajikistan in 2010 and continued in June 2014 at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in Manila and Davao City, Philippines in 2015. By bringing the two factions closer together the OIC maintains its commitment to positive engagement in the Southern Philippines peace process with a view to achieving a just, inclusive, and comprehensive peace.
