OIC calls for release of Misuari

First posted 05:53pm (Mla time) May 20, 2006
Agence France-Presse

DAVAO -- Organization of Islamic Conference diplomats on Saturday called for the release of jailed Muslim rebel leader Nur Misuari to help the progress of peace talks in southern Philippines.

Misuari, jailed for his short-lived rebellion in 2001, is necessary for the peace talks to prosper, said Sayed Kassem El-Masry, adviser to the OIC secretary and head of the OIC delegation visiting Mindanao.

"We are appealing to the government of the Philippines to release Misuari. We honestly think that his participation will be a catalyst to the peace process and his contribution will help the process move forward," he said.

But El-Masry stressed the OIC wanted the release of Misuari to be within the constitutional and judicial process.

Government peace adviser Jesus Dureza agreed with El-Masry, adding that Misuari's case would have to go through the judicial process.

"The president cannot just tell the judge that Misuari be freed," Dureza said.

El-Masry said releasing Misuari would help boost the effectiveness of a peace accord that Misuari's Muslim separatist Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) signed with the government in 1996.

Then-MNLF chairman Misuari signed a peace treaty with Manila in 1996 to end decades of fighting in Mindanao, which the country's Muslim minority considers their ancestral homeland.

The MNLF is recognized by the OIC as representative of the Philippines' Muslim minority although an MNLF breakaway group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), is conducting its own peace talks with Manila.

After the peace accord, Misuari was elected governor of a Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao and many of his fighters were absorbed into the military and police.

But after the government refused to back him for another term, Misuari led a short-lived rebellion in 2001 that left more than 100 dead. He was later captured in nearby Malaysia and is facing charges over his rebellion.

The OIC delegation earlier visited Misuari as part of its mission to monitor the implementation of the peace treaty and look into possible violations by both the government and the Muslim rebels.