Moro Islamic Liberation Front peace implementing panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal has asked Libyan Charge d’ Affaires Ahmed Eddeb to assume Malaysia’s role as peace facilitator, an envoy disclosed on Saturday.
While admitting that Iqbal approached him, Libyan Charge d’ Affaires Ahmed Eddeb said that the MILF should make a formal request so he can convey the matter to the Libyan government.
“We received a group from MILF that they want us to bring back our monitoring team. We are working on it,” Eddeb said.
“The MILF has to request us. We have to go through official channel to convey to our government,” he added.
In 1976, when Libya headed the Organization of Islamic Conference, it acted as peace mediator between the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front which were then led by Carmelo Barbero and Nur Misuari, respectively.
The peace talks were held in the aftermath of the Jabidah massacre in March 18, 1968, which killed more than 60 Filipino-Muslim military trainees in Corregidor, an incident believed to be part of a plan to reclaim Sabah. The incident pushed the Moros to take up arms and lead an insurgence in Mindanao.
In 1975, the Marcos administration began peace talks with the MNLF, mediated by the OIC, which was represented by Libya.
The negotiation led to the signing of the 1976 Tripoli Agreement, which defined the autonomous administrative divisions for Muslims in the Southern Philippines, giving them their own economic system, including an Islamic bank.
MILF later broke away from the MNLF and formed its own group in 1981.
From the Marcos regime in 1976 to 1986; the peace talks were resumed during Arroyo administration in 2001, where Libya retained its role as country-mediator between the Philippine government and MNLF.
In 2010, President Benigno Aquino III held peace talks between the government and MILF, which was mediated by the Malaysian government.
Although the Bangsamoro Basic Law was signed during Aquino’s regime, the implementation has been stalled before the Congress following the Mamasapano massacre.
Eddeb admitted that Libya’s political problem has driven them away from its original role as negotiator between the Philippines and the MNLF or eventually with the MILF.
“But we will not hesitate to help the Philippines on this issue,” he said.
Eddeb expressed hopes that under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, Libya will be able to help settle the peace pact.
“I am counting on President Duterte. He is the only sincere President,” he said, citing his experiences with other Philippine presidents before Duterte.
“I feel personally he is very sincere to settle the South issue,” he added.
The International Monitoring Team to the peace talks is currently headed by Malaysia, without the involvement of the Middle East countries, over the stalled BBL
“The peace process matters to us. We have been involved in it for quite some time,” Eddeb said.
Libya experienced extreme political and security challenges in 2011 during the Arab Spring movement that toppled the 40-year dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi.
Security concerns were voiced out after a factions of a militia group raised the threat of a civil war.