Japanese envoy talks to rebel chief in MILF camp

Sun.Star: Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Ryuichiro Yamazaki met with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim at the MILF camp in Mindanao Wednesday to express Japan's deepest commitments to the ongoing peace talks between the MILF and the Philippines government. The diplomatic meeting was held at the MILF's Camp Darapanan. Yamazaki was being joined by Yoshihisa Ishikawa, Political Section First Secretary; Shinichi Kakui, Economic Section First Secretary; and Masafumi Nagaishi, Japanese contingent to the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT). Also present in the said meeting are the bureau chiefs of Japanese media outfits Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK), Asahi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun, and Mainichi newspapers. Ambassador Yamazaki told MILF chair Murad that the Government of Japan is deeply committed to the peace process even though their contributions are more of economic in nature but nevertheless having significant political impact because they bear direct support to the peace process. Murad in turn credited the commitment and support of the Government of Japan and her good people under the leadership of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as among the factors that continually pushes the peace process towards its successful conclusion. Extending gratitude to the Japanese government, Murad appealed to Japan to even strengthen and step up its support to the peace process while the negotiations are underway and, much more, during after the signing of the would-be comprehensive peace pact. For the past three years, the peace process has caught a staunch attention and support from the international community with the government of Malaysia at the helm being the facilitator between the government and the MILF. Among the Japan-funded projects now being implemented in Mindanao is the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development (J-Bird). J-Bird is the umbrella project of the Japanese government in support to the GRP-MILF peace process. It is being implemented in close collaboration and coordination between the Japan Embassy in Manila, Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA). Japan also plays a big role in the Mindanao Trust Fund which pulls resources from various countries to be utilized for the GRP-MILF peace process. - Sun.Star