September 8, 2012 News: The Central Committee of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has called for a meeting with all its all foreign representatives in an undisclosed venue in Maguindanao last month.

According to Muhammad Ameen, chair of the MILF Secretariat, around 20 MILF foreign representatives, more popularly known among MILF circle as “mandoub” (Arabic term for representative or emissary) attended the meeting.

The main agenda of the meeting were the current status of the MILF-led struggle, the ongoing peace negotiation with the government, and the turmoil in the Middle East.

The meeting was presided over by Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim. Most of the senior members of the MILF central leadership attended the special meeting.

The MILF Central Committee has about 70 members, representing all the ethno-linguistic tribes and sectors of Moro society. Most, however, remain unknown and in low profile.

The MILF, which has a portfolio on foreign relations, has organized most of the Moros staying in the Muslim states in the Middle East. However, in other countries, the MILF has point men or contacts who help promote the image of the Front and the legitimacy of its cause.

Ameen described the meeting as well engaged and very intellectual, especially on the sharing on the current situation in Egypt where the long-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwanul Muslimin) is now at the saddle of power.

Asked to provide details of the personalities involved, Ameen merely said, “Please, let us not deal of their identities, but they are legal and are not violating the laws of their respective host countries.”

At present, the MILF has managed to project itself quite well in the international arena, which explained the current level of support especially in the ongoing GPH-MILF peace negotiation.  The peace process is not only supported by Muslim states but also by non-Muslim countries or multilateral states’ on non-states’ formations. Recently, it also drew the support of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and Indonesia, which are known traditional backers of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).