MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/28 March) – UK Foreign Secretary William Hague hailed the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for the Bangsamoro (CAB) Thursday.
“I wish to express my warm congratulations to the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on the formal signing on 27 March of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for the Bangsamoro,” Hague said in a statement issued a few hours after the CAB was signed in Malacanang.
The agreement is seen to finally put an end to the decades-old Moro rebellion in Mindanao.
“The UK wholeheartedly supports the agreement. Its full implementation will bring great benefits for Mindanao and the Philippines. It will also be an inspiring example of how political leadership and democracy can rise above violence and division to provide the security and prosperity that all people want and deserve,” Hague said.
“While many challenges lie ahead, I celebrate this important milestone along with friends of the Philippines around the world,” he added.
The UK has shared conflict resolution expertise and attended the peace talks between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front as a member of the International Contact Group supporting the talks.
Other ICG members include Japan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey as well as four international NGOs.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) also welcomed the signing of the CAB.
“The island of Mindanao and the people living in it, who, not only suffer but have witnessed decades of wars—by the loss of their fathers, mothers, siblings, children and neighbors—due to war, will now have a chance to enjoy peace. The people and the island have shown to us that despite fear, distrust and deep divisions in the past, by way of dialogue and negotiations, political, social and cultural differences will always have a place for a political solution,” AHRC said in a statement Thursday.
“As the AHRC welcomes this political settlement, ending four decades of insurgencies in Mindanao, it urges both parties to ensure that the institutions of justice, to which the aspirations of the Bangsamoro’s would be realize, are developed, function and work. The signing of agreement is only the beginning. The tedious and hard work to ensure the people’s aspirations are transformed into a reality lies ahead,” it added. (MindaNews)