MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 9, 2012) – The United Kingdom said the Framework Agreement between the Philippines and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels is likely to bring peace and stability, and development for Muslims on Mindanao Island.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner, said he welcomed the announcement of President Benigno Aquino of the accord. “This is a testament to the commitment and vision of the parties. The agreement has the potential finally to end the long-running conflict,” he said.
The full implementation of the agreement by 2016 can bring about peace, security, and development and that will be good not only for Mindanao, but for the whole of the Philippines, Hague said.
UK is a member of the International Contact Group supporting the peace process in Mindanao.
Hague said the UK is pleased to have supported the parties and Tengku Dato’ Abdul Ghafar, the Malaysian facilitator, during the peace process. He said the UK stands ready to provide further assistance if such a role would be valuable to the parties.
British Ambassador Stephen Lillie also said the peace process has taken a huge step forward with this framework agreement. “The UK has had its own experience of negotiating and implementing a peace agreement in Northern Ireland. We have shared many experiences from that process with the parties here.”
“One of the most relevant lessons at this point is to recognize that even after an agreement it won’t all be plain sailing, and there will still be challenges. But with commitment and hard work these will be far outweighed by the benefits of peace, as our own experience since the Good Friday Agreement was signed 14 years ago shows,” Lillie said in the same statement.
The United States, Switzerland and Australia earlier praised the accord. (Mindanao Examiner)
20