President Rodrigo Duterte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
President Rodrigo Duterte said he would meet with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chairman Nur Misuari early 2017 instead after they failed to meet in Jolo, Sulu on Friday.
“I will meet Misuari for sure kasi pagkatapos ng panel-panel (because after the peace talks), it goes up to us. Kami na ang mag-usap. O pare, okay na ba ito (We would then talk. Brother, is this all right)?” Duterte said during a speech at Camp Teodulfo Bautista in Jolo, Sulu.
The President said he hoped to personally talked to Misuari next year.
“Hopefully, next year,” he said, adding that his meeting with Misuari could hasten the achievement of peace in Mindanao.
“When I shall have met Misuari, I think there’s a better chance,” he added.
Duterte has earlier said that he would give Misuari, who is a fugitive wanted for rebellion, a safe conduct pass.
“If we would not get to talk, how can we fix these things?” he said
Duterte said his job as a President was “to seek peace not war.”
“(Si) Nur, magkakilala kami, matagal na (Nur and I have long known each other). I’ve been telling him, Nur can we just talk about (peace) tapos maghanap tayo ng paraan kung papano (then let’s find a way to make it possible),” he said.
Aside from the MILF, the Philippine government is set to resume the peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front (CPP-NDF) on August 22 in Oslo, Norway. RAM
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