OIC chief due in Manila

OIC Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani PHOTO FROM OIC-OCI.ORG

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The secretary general of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will be arriving in Manila to discuss with Philippine officials the issue of the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the wake of the Mamasapano incident.

Iyad Ameen Madani, who was the first editor in chief of the Saudi Gazette and served until 1999, will be flying to the Philippines after his three-day visit to Kuala Lumpur that started on Tuesday, Malaysia’s state-run news agency Bernama said.

While in the Malaysian capital, Madani will meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and “seek Malaysia’s advice regarding the status of the peace agreement (in) southern Philippines… brokered by Malaysia before proceeding with any further action.”

Among the issues he and Razak will be discussing, Bernama said, was “the unresolved issue, especially after the killing of 44 police commandos in an encounter with Moro rebels in Maguindanao on Jan. 25.”

“Since the Malaysian prime minister spearheaded this (peace agreement), we want to listen to him on this and on the current status of the agreement, and where he sees a role for us,” Bernama quoted Madani.

Malaysia has been acting as facilitator for the peace process between Manila and the MILF since 2001.

In the same interview, Madani said the Mamasapano incident has affected the peace process.–Allan Nawal