TRIPOLI TALKS TO BEAR GOOD RESULTS, SAYS VP GUINGONA
INQ7.net, June 23, 2001
Vice-president and foreign affairs secretary Teofisto Guingona Jr. today
expressed optimism that good results will be achieved from the government’s
peace negotiations with the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
being held in Tripoli, Libya.
The Vice President made this assessment after a meeting with Libyan leader
Moammar Khaddafy on the eve of the signing of a ceasefire agreement in
Mindanao. Guingona, who led the Philippine panel at the opening of the talks
between the government and the MILF, said the meeting with Khaddafy was held
under an "atmosphere of goodwill and confidence."
In a statement, Guingona said Colonel Khadaffy also expressed firm opposition
to the secessionist movement launched by the MILF, as he reiterated his
personal commitment to assist in the country’s development programs in
Southern Philippines.
"He (Khaddafy) urged the Filipino Muslims to pursue their aspirations within
the context of the national vision, and to excel as citizens of the Republic"
Guingona said.
Guingona met Khadaffy in his residence in Sirte, Libya, some 400 kilometers
from Tripoli. Also in the meeting were Eduardo Ermita, presidential adviser
on the peace process, and Jesus Dureza, presidential adviser on Mindanao
affairs.
MUSLIM SEPARATISTS HAIL PEACE DEAL WITH GOV'T.
Agence France-Presse, June 23, 2001
Mulslim separatist rebels on Saturday hailed a landmark ceasefire signed with
the Philippine government, saying it would kick-start desperately needed
economic development in the war-ravaged south.
The accord, signed in Libya late Friday, would strengthen "the peace process"
said Eid Kabalu, the spokesman for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
which has been waging a 23-year armed rebellion seeking an independent
Islamic state.
Kabalu said the agreement, signed in the Libyan capital of Tripoli on Friday
would lead to the "introduction of economic development in Mindanao," the
impoverished Muslim southern third of predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines.
The deal was brokered over two days under the supervision of Seif al-Islam,
who heads a Libyan charity foundation, and would allow hundreds of thousands
of families displaced by the rebellion to return to their homes without fear
of getting caught in crossfire.
Kabalu stressed that even before the signing of the deal, the MILF and the
government have observed a unilateral ceasefire covering conflict-areas in
Mindanao.
"With the coming of the agreement now, the peace process would be strengthened
with the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) representatives to monitor,"
Kabalu said in a television interview. "We hope that skirmishes can be
avoided, although we cannot promise that it would be 100 percent avoided in
reality."
With the agreement, the military is to pull its troops out of rebel strongholds
it occupied last year following a massive assault ordered by then-president
Joseph Estrada, Kabula said.
"Part of the agreement is the introductino of economic development and so
long as the military is there, the people will be hesitant to go back to
their respective (homes) because the fear is always there that trouble may
erupt anytime."
The 12,500-strong MILF is the country's main Muslim separatist group. It
splintered from the larger Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1978,and
was left out of a 1996 peace accord between Manila and the MNLF. A smaller
group, the Abu Sayyaf, is holding more than two dozen US and Filipino hostages
in southern Basilan province. The MILF has denied claims by the military its
forces were sheltering the Abu Sayyaf from a massive military manhunt.
MILITARY CLASHES WITH MILF DESPITE CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT
INQ7.net, with Agence France-Presse, June 23, 2001
Military forces clashed with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) in Basilan despite a ceasefire agreement forged by the peace talks in
Tripoli, Libya.
Radio and television reports said that MILF officials would protest the
alleged military attack on established camps of the Muslim separatists last
Thursday and Friday. Five MILF members were killed, according to the reports
while the government has yet to release a statement to deny or confirm the
latest armed encounters.
The military had accused MILF on several occasions of assisting the Abu Sayyaf
holding 24 hostages. The government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF) signed a peace accord Friday that should lead to a ceasefire and
a political end to their conflict, an official Libyan source said.
The agreement was signed by Vice President and Foreign Minister Teofisto
Guingona and Mohammad Murad, the military head of the MILF -- the main Muslim
separatist movement in the Philippines, in the presence of Seif al-Islam
son of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.
The deal was brokered over two days under the supervision of Seif al-Islam
who heads a Libyan charity foundation, and sets out terms for a political
resolution to a conflict that has afflicted the Philippines for 23 years.
The MILF has been fighting for an Islamic state for the minority Muslim
population in the south of the country, which is predominantly Roman Catholic.
PHIL.GOV'T, MILF AGREE ON TEMPORARY CEASEFIRE
INQ7.net, June 22, 2001
The Gov't and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have agreed to temporarily
lay down arms in line with the ongoing peace talks set to start at 6:30 p.m.
(Libya time) today.
The ceasefire will cover all areas in Mindanao and will be in effect until a
settlement is reached by the two parties, said Presidential spokesperson
Rigoberto Tiglao. Tiglao quoted Presidential Adviser for Mindanao Affairs
Jesus Dureza as describing the pact as one "durable ceasefire agreement."
Representatives from Malaysia, Indonesia and the host country Libya will
witness the signing.
Tiglao added that the MILF has agreed to jointly implement a development
project with the government in conflict-affected areas in the south that
shows strong signs of a possible peace agreement that will end the 30-year-
old hostilities with the "biggest" Muslim separatist group.
Government and MILF panels have resumed talks last June 20 in Tripoli. The
major talking points would include the review of their past agreement
distribution of ancestral lands, and cessation of hostilities.
PEACE TALK WITH MILF OPEN IN LIBYA
Agence France Presse, June 20, 2001
(TRIPOLI) The Philippine government and the main Muslim separatist Moro
Islamic Liberation Front began talks here Wednesday in a bid to forge a peace
deal under the aegis of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's son Seif al-Islam.
The negotiations to end a 23-year rebellion by the MILF were planned to last
until June 25, a source in the Kadhafi Charitable Foundation headed by Seif
al-Islam said.
Philippine Vice President and Foreign Minister Teofisto Guingona is heading
the government side while MILF military chief Muhammad Murad leads the rebel
delegation. Malaysian and Indonesian representatives, including Indonesian
Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab, are also present.
Though the Libyan source said the talks in Tripoli were expected to end with
a peace agreement, Guingona this week suggested they would last longer.
Succeeding talks will be held in "shifting venues" between Tripoli and the
capitals of fellow Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) members
Malaysia and Indonesia, which will act as mediators, he said.
The 12,500-member MILF has been fighting for an independent Islamic state in
Mindanao, the southern third of the mainly Roman Catholic Philippine
archipelago.
Among the issues to be put forward in the first round of talks is an MILF
demand for Manila to recognize more than 40 rebel-controlled areas, where
there will be a complete "cessation of hostilities" in exchange for economic
development.
Libya, Indonesia and Malaysia sponsored negotiations between the Philippines
and another Muslim separatist group, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)
in 1996, resulting in a peace deal.
The MILF, which split from the MNLF in 1978, was left out of the 1996
negotiations. Last August, the Kadhafi Charity Organisation financed the
liberation of 21 western hostages held by Abu Sayyaf, which is also fighting
for a separate Islamic state in the southern third of the Philippines, on the
southern island of Jolo.
The Abu Sayyaf is currently holding 26 hostages in the south of the country.
Libya has not been involved im mediation with the group this time. The MILF
has condemned the kidnappings and assured Manila that it would not help the
kidnappers flee a massive military assault to free the hostages.
ABUS NOT PART OF TRIPOLI TALKS: The alleged links between the secessionist
Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the extremist Abu Sayyaf will not be on
the agenda of the peace talks between the MILF and the government, which
start today in Tripoli, Libya.
Secretary Eduardo Ermita, presidential adviser on the peace process, said
the government would not raise the issue because it was convinced that the
MILF had nothing to do with the bandit group.
"I don't see how the Abu Sayyaf thing would come in unless somebody would
bring up the issue of whether the government believes in the MILF's being
involved with the Abu Sayyaf or not. That issue has been raised often enough,"
Ermita told a press conference before leaving for Tripoli late Monday.
Jesus Dureza, the chair of the negotiating panel, said he had raised the
issued officially with the MILF and they had responded with a strong
denunciation of the un-Islamic activities of the Abu Sayyaf.
The MILF on Monday threatened to file a formal complaint over the military's
allegations that it was aiding the bandits, who are holding 26 hostages seized
in two separate incidents from a Palawan resort and from a hospital in Lamitan
Basilan.
The two sides are expected to take up three major issues during three days
of preliminary talks: the implementation of previous agreements reached in
1996, pertaining to the cessation of hostilities, ancestral lands and the
development of rebel-controlled areas.
The MILF has so far not made any demands for the inclusion of more
provinces and cities in a Muslim-led autonomous region nor revived its
claim for an independent Islamic state, said Ermita, who met with MILF
leaders in Kuala Lumpur on March 24.
Four predominantly Muslim provinces in Mindanao voted to form themselves
into the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao following a peace agreement
in 1996 between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front, the
mainstream Muslim insurgency.
Murad Ebrahim, Al Haj, the MILF's chief negotiator, also expressed optimism
for the success of the talks. Ebrahim, in an interview from his Kuala Lumpur
base, said the feeling that they have been neglected by the government was
what fueled the rebellion of the "Bangsamoro."
On the question of the MILF's demand for independence, Ebrahim said it also
depends on how the government would succeed in addressing major issues.
Inquirer, 06/20/2001
RELIEF, REHAB EFFORTS INTENSIFIED IN MINDANAO
Manila Times, June 19, 2001
The Arroyo administration stepped up relief and rehabilitation efforts and
the delivery of basic services in the conflict-afflicted areas of Mindanao.
The Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP) being pursued by the administration
from 2001 to 2004 gave special focus on the sustained peace and development
of Mindanao as a vital component of the country’s stalled war on poverty and
economic transformation in the 21st century.
In its three-year medium-term plan, the Arroyo administration declared that
the overall vision for sustained peace and development in Mindanao is the
peaceful coexistence of its stakeholders within an environment of socio-
economic, cultural and political equity.
It thus outlined specific challenges that need to be addressed to attain that
objective:
Preventing the recurrence of armed conflict; addressing the socio-economic
inequity brought about by the disparity in the development, pronounced poverty
and unsustained growth; addressing cultural inequity as manifested in the loss
of ancestral lands and non-consideration of cultural aspects in programs and
projects, and addressing political inequity through full implementation of
autonomy, increased representation in government of Muslims and lumads, and
improved conflict resolution and negotiation mechanisms.
The MTDP stressed that armed conflict has created a general situation of
uncertainty and instability and stifled development initiatives in Mindanao.
GUINGONA TO LEAD GRP-MILF PEACE TALK OPENING IN TRIPOLI TOMORROW
Phil.Star, June 19, 2001
Vice President and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teofisto Guingona Jr. will lead
the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) panel in the opening
session of the peace negotiations between the government and the sececcionist
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Tripoli, Libya tomorrow, June 20.
In a pre-departure statement, Guingona, who left last night, said the holding
of peace talks with the MILF is part of the administration’s commitment to
explore all efforts to achieve peace in Mindanao so that human and economic
development can proceed unimpeded.
Guingona explained that the choice of Libya as venue for the resumption of
the talks was earlier agreed upon by all the parties involved in the peace
process. Libya is one of the three countries that offered to host the peace
talks. The other two countries were Indonesia and Malaysia.
Being the highest official to represent the country in the negotiation
Guingona pointed out that his presence in the opening of the talks is an
"unequivocal expression of the government’s political will to bring an end
to the division, violence and conflict in Mindanao."
Apart from the peace talks, the Vice President said the visit to Tripoli is
an opportunity for the Philippines to explore the potentials of bilateral
relations with Libya.
Those who joined the Vice President in the trip were Ermita, Presidential
Adviser for Mindanao Jesus Dureza, head the peace panel; Irene Santiago and
Mayor Muslimin Sema, members of the negotiating panel.
LIBYA PLAYING MILF CARD TO GAIN RESPECT?
Manila Times, June 19, 2001
A senior Philippine diplomat has charged that Libya is showing deep interest
in brokering peace between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF) not because it is sympathetic to the Philippine government nor
to the Muslim secessionists.
Instead, the official said, Tripoli is using the issue to gain acceptance by
the international community. Libya still suffers from pariah status—especially
among western countries—in the international community; this is Tripoli’s
punishment for coddling two men who bombed Pan American flight 103 in 1988
killing over 200 people.
The diplomat said Tripoli has more to gain than Manila for its initiative to
host the first round of negotiations with the MILF scheduled for June 20 to
21. “Libya scored another breakthrough in its efforts to gain acceptance in
the international community,” the diplomat said, noting that Tripoli’s
participation in the talks is likely to only subtly affect the progress of
the talks.
The diplomat said Tripoli had been very active in government negotiations
with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the recognized representative
of the Muslim community in the country, but had failed to improve the pace
with which a peace pact was achieved.
A general agreement was signed between government and the MNLF as early as
1976 in Tripoli but was only made effective in Jakarta in 20 years later.
Former Libyan Ambassador Rajab Abdullaziz Azzarouk also helped secure the
freedom of 20 people abducted by the terrorist Abu Sayyaf from a Malaysian
resort, but his mediation was plagued by charges of cuts in ransom payments.
“Libya is not a heavy weight in the Muslim world,” the diplomat said.
He observed, “Libya is offering too many proposals that are mere proposals.”
The diplomat charged that Tripoli “lured” Vice President Teofisto Guingona
into attending the talks even if his presence was unnecessary. “(Guingona)
was duped,” the diplomat said, explaining that Guingona was made to believe
that his Malaysian and Indonesian counterparts would be present.
Only Indonesian Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab is attending, the diplomat
explained, had Shihab is attending only because he was made to believe that
Manila had requested his presence.
“So we really don’t know where all this enthusiasm is coming from, if it’s
to help us or help them more,” the diplomat noted.
PEACE AGREEMENT BETWEEN GOV'T., MILF TO BE SIGNED IN LIBYA
Agence France - Presse, June 19, 2001
(TRIPOLI) The Philippine government and the island’s main militant Islamic
separatist group will soon sign a peace agreement here aiming to end a decades-
long conflict between the country’s Christian majority and small Muslim
population, an official Libyan source said Monday.
Philippine Vice President Teofisto Guingona flew to Libya Monday for landmark
talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which are expected to
start Wednesday. "The official delegation and those of the MILF have arrived
in Libya to sign the accord for peace and unity," said a spokesman for Libya’s
Kadhafi Charity foundation, even as a hostage crisis in the Philippines
involving other Islamic rebels threatened to destabilize the process.
The MILF, a 12,500-member organization, has been fighting for an independent
Islamic state in Mindanao, the southern third of the mainly Roman Catholic
Philippine archipelago.
The talks will be presided over by Seif al-Islam, Libyan leader Moamer
Kadhafi’s son and president of the Kadhafi Charity Foundation. Malaysian and
Indonesian representatives will also attend the talks.
Among the issues to be put forward in the first round of talks is an MILF
demand for Manila to recognize more than 40 rebel-controlled areas, where
there will be a complete "cessation of hostilities" in exchange for economic
development.
Libya, Indonesia and Malaysia sponsored negotiations between the Philippines
and other Muslim separatists, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), in
1996, resulting in a peace deal.
The MILF has been at war with the state for 23 years, born out of a schism
with the MNLF in 1978, and was left out of the 1996 negotiations. In August
2000, the Kadhafi Charity Organization financed the liberation of 21 western
hostages held by Abu Sayyaf, a ragtag group of self-styled Islamic fighters
on the southern island of Jolo.
The Abu Sayyaf currently holds 26 hostages in the south of the country.
Libya has not been involved in mediation with the group this time.
ABU SAYYAF CRISIS COULD JEOPARDIZE TALKS WITH MILF
Agence France-Presse, June 18, 2001
Landmark talks to end a decades-long rebellion by the Philippines' main Muslim
separatist group were in danger of being overshadowed by the hostage crisis
involving the smaller Abu Sayyaf gang, rebels said Monday.
As negotiators prepared to leave for Libya, where the talks open Wednesday
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said they would lodge a formal
complaint over being linked to the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas who hold 26 foreign
and local hostages.
Vice President Teofisto Guingona, who is leading the government delegation
has expressed confidence the talks will end the 23-year MILF rebellion. It
has been fighting for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao, the
predominantly Roman Catholic country's main southern island.
Libya, an influential member of the 56-member Organization of Islamic
Conference (OIC) helped broker a peace deal between Manila and the larger
Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1996. The 12,500-member MILF
splintered from the MNLF in 1978 and was left out of the peace accord under
which the MNLF settled for limited autonomy in the south.
"Libya wants to continue what it started with the MILF," Guingona said.
Succeeding talks will be held in "shifting venues" between Tripoli and the
capitals of fellow OIC members Malaysia and Indonesia, which will act as
mediators, he said.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said his group was willing to lay down its arms
"provided there is a permanent solution to the problem of Mindanao that would
be acceptable to the Moro people."
"We are confident that a political settlement will be reached soon," Kabalu
said, but declined to comment when asked if they would drop altogether their
secessionist demands in exchange for limited self-rule. Among the issues to
be put forward in the first round of talks is an MILF demand for Manila to
recognize more than 40 rebel-controlled areas, where there will be a complete
"cessation of hostilities" in exchange for economic development.
However, the MILF negotiating panel, led by their military chief Mohammad
Murad, would issue a formal complaint over the military's "sweeping allegations"
that they were assisting the Abu Sayyaf, a ragtag group of self-styled
Islamic fighters holding 26 hostages on southern Basilan island.
As a gesture of goodwill, he said the MILF had made a public offer of
assistance to recover the hostages, but had been rebuffed. Libyan leader
Moamer Kadhafi has also extended a "general offer" to help solve the crisis
which Manila declined. Last year, Libya helped secure the release of dozens
of mostly western hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf on the southern island of
Jolo.
The MILF declared a jihad, or holy war, against Manila after a massive
military assault last year by since-deposed president Joseph Estrada
dislodged them from their sprawling Camp Abubakar headquarters in Mindanao.
GOVERNMENT TO RESUME PEACE TALKS WITH MILF IN LIBYA ON JUNE 20: President
Arroyo and her Cabinet gave the go-signal yesterday for the resumption of
peace talks between the government and the secessionist Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) beginning June 20 in Tripoli, Libya.
The approval was made following the President's acceptance of an offer by
Libyan President Moammar Gadhaffi to host the negotiations in his country.
Possible sites for the renewed talks were discussed during a Cabinet
meeting at Malacanang yesterday, the President said.
Retired general Eduardo Ermita, presidential adviser on the peace process,
said members of the government peace panel are set to leave for Tripoli
next week.
Apart from Libya, two other OIC members – Malaysia and Indonesia – had
offered to host the peace negotiations with the MILF.
In a related development, Cotabato City Mayor Muslimen Sema proposed a
power-sharing scheme between the MNLF and MILF, once the latter forges a
pact with the national government. Sema said the scheme would pave the way
for peace to finally prevail in the troubled island of Mindanao.
The government had granted the MNLF a package of concessions, including the
creation of the Special Zone for Peace and Development and control of the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Kibambanan Mamukid, regional director of the Office of Muslim Affairs, said
the arrangement would benefit both the Christian and Muslim populace. Phil.
Star, 06/14/2001
MALAYSIA, LIBYA OUT OF TALKS: The government said yesterday it no longer
needs Malaysian help in mediating with the Abu Sayyaf, saying the original
request for foreign negotiators at the bandit group's demand has been
overtaken by events.
"That is academic. The Abu Sayyaf said there will be no more negotiations,"
President Arroyo told the press at Malacanang. She explained that Abu Sayyaf
spokesman Abu Sabaya effectively terminated all talks with the government
after claiming they had beheaded American hostage Guillermo Sobero.
Last Monday, Mrs. Arroyo acceded to a demand by Sabaya to bring in two
Malaysians, former senator Sairin Karno and businessman Yusuf Hamdan, to
try to end the hostage crisis after the bandits threatened to behead the
three Americans seized from the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan.
Sabaya postponed the beheading but shocked the government the following
morning by announcing Sobero had been decapitated and his body left in the
Basilan jungle.
The bandit leader warned the government they would execute the two other
Americans – missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham– and then called off
further negotiations.
In Kuala Lumpur, Sairin said yesterday he was happy the Philippines no
longer needed Malaysia's assistance to mediate with the kidnappers.
The former lawmaker expressed confidence that the Arroyo administration
would resolve the problem.
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs ruled out participation of
foreign governments, saying the issue was moot and academic. Vice President
and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teofisto Guingona Jr. likewise clarified that
the Philippines had not formally requested Malaysia to send negotiators to
Mindanao. Phil. Star, 06/14/2001
MILF CRITICIZES LATEST GOV'T OFFER OF AMNESTY: DIGOS CITY--As the resumption
of the peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF) draws near, the government is dangling yet another amnesty
program solely for members of the rebel group.
The MILF, however, was quick to lambast the amnesty offer.
Notices of the amnesty program urging rebels to return to the government
fold have dotted this city since Saturday.
Eid Kabalu, MILF spokesperson, said the government was obviously intent on
quelling the rebellion by enticing their members to surrender. He said the
government was wrong in thinking that the Moro rebellion would end if it
succeeded in enticing MILF members to surrender.
"As long as the root cause of the problem is not resolved, the rebellion
would continue. There would be no way to stop it," Kabalu said. Moner
Bajunaid, a former member of the MILF peace panel, branded the government
offer as "vicious."
"This is devoid of a deep understanding of the Moro problem. This is a
recycled policy," Bajunaid said. He also warned that giving amnesty to MILF
members would not end the rebellion. The peace talks between the government
and the MILF are set to resume on June 24 in Tripoli, Libya.
Inquirer, 06/11/2001
MILF TO REFUSE AID TO SAYYAF: A Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) official
assured the government yesterday that the secessionist group would not help
Abu Sayyaf bandits escape a massive military offensive in Basilan to free
Filipino and American hostages.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said there was no point in "entertaining the idea"
that the rebel group was providing sanctuary to the Abu Sayyaf. In Iloilo
City, Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan accused the MILF
yesterday of helping the Abu Sayyaf with guns, ammunition and bases in the
past.
Kabalu, however, said kidnapping "is condemnable, un-Islamic and unacceptable
to Islam… This action deserves to be condemned." He said the MILF has a
brigade stationed in Basilan, where heavy fighting raged between government
troops and the Abu Sayyaf during the weekend.
"The MILF has no organizational relations with the Abu Sayyaf," Kabalu said.
"We have no tactical alliance with the group." Earlier, military officials
said the secessionist group might provide sanctuary to the Abu Sayyaf in
territories under MILF control, which are off limits to government troops.
Adan said over radio that some guerrillas fighting government troops in
Basilan might be MILF rebels, and "not purely" members of the Abu Sayyaf
bandit group.
Adan said the number of Abu Sayyaf fighters has sometimes reached 100,
especially when they are receiving arms and ammunition from the MILF. Phil.
Star, 06/05/2001
GOV'T, MILF TO HOLD TALKS IN TRIPOLI: The Philippine government and the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front will be holding formal peace talks in Tripoli
Libya starting June 20.
This was disclosed by Libyan ambassador Salem Adam yesterday, ending
speculations on where the crucial phase of the talks will be held. It was
earlier reported that the government and MILF panels were still undecided on
whether to hold the talks in Jakarta or in Kuala Lumpur.
It will be the second time that Libya will play a crucial role in working
for peace in the Philippines.
Tripoli also played host to the 1976 peace talks between the Philippine
government and the Moro National Liberation Front that yielded the Tripoli
Agreement between both sides. But the agreement was never implemented.
The Philippine government would finalize a peace agreement with the MNLF 20
years later under the administration of then President Fidel Ramos in
Jakarta. Inquirer, 06/06/2001
