While in İstanbul, the Philippine president will have talks today with Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, the secretary-general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The meeting will offer an opportunity to Arroyo for reiterating her country's determination to become an observer member of the 57-nation organization.
Arroyo is also expected to discuss with İhsanoğlu the OIC's possible contribution to the Mindanao peace process. Wednesday's news reports, meanwhile, said the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) achieved a “major breakthrough” in the Mindanao peace process with the signing Tuesday night of an accord to form an international contact group (ICG).
According to news reports, the ICG will be made up of a group of interested countries and international nongovernmental organizations to support and monitor the peace process in Mindanao.
The group will be assigned to attend and observe face-to-face negotiations upon invitation by the parties, conduct visits and give advice on a discreet basis, and seek out the help of experts and resource persons. The ICG can also invite and engage the OIC, the European Union and eminent persons to participate in its activities, the same reports said.
The ICG pact states that the body's members will “preferably” come from the OIC, the EU and accredited international nongovernmental organizations that the Philippine government and MILF will invite in consultation with Malaysia, the sole third-party facilitator of the Mindanao peace process.
