A senior British security official is to discuss with Philippine government officials and separatist rebel leaders on the peace process in the south, the British Embassy said on Friday.
Robert Hannigan, Security Adviser to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, will be in Manila on Nov. 3 for a two-day visit to meet with the security cluster of the Philippine cabinet and leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to share UK's experience in the Northern Ireland peace process, the embassy said in a statement.
"There are many differences between the peace discussions in Northern Ireland and Mindanao, but if the parties in Mindanao can gain insight from Robert Hannigan's work, then his visit will be valuable," said Peter Beckingham, British Ambassador to the Philippines.
The signing of the United States-brokered Good Friday Agreementin 1998 marked the unofficial end to the conflict in Northern Ireland, where a low intensity civil war took the lives of more than 3,000 people. Signed by the major political parties and ratified by voters across the island of Ireland, the 1998 accord enshrines the principle of consent that Northern Ireland would remain part of the UK unless and until the citizens of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland both vote for a united Ireland.
Hermogenes Esperon, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process of the Philippines, said Hannigan's visit "is very timely as the Philippine government is shifting to a new paradigm in engaging various armed groups."
Violence erupted in the southern Philippines in August after some rogue MILF rebels attacked some towns and villages in the southern region of Mindanao, as the government failed to sign a territorial pact with the group.
The MILF had been battling for self-rule in Mindanao for more than two decades.
The pact was considered the last remaining hurdle for a final political settlement that was expected to end the decades-old insurgency that has claimed more than 120,000 lives.
Following the latest conflict, Manila said it would no longer sign the agreement as strong resistance by lawmakers and local government leaders in Mindanao for fear that the pact would pave the way for the establishment of an independent Muslim state within the Philippines.
Hannigan is responsible for advising the Prime Minister on security policy, intelligence matters, crisis coordination and civil contingency planning. Until 2007 he was the principal adviser to Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on the peace process, including negotiations with the political parties and liaison with the Irish Government and the U.S. administration.
Source:Xinhua
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