It is final.

The Philippines will postpone the hosting of the Special Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting (SNAMMM) on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development this December to concentrate on relief and rehabilitation efforts in the wake of two recent devastating cyclones, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Saturday.

The DFA said the postponement was arrived at following its consultation with fellow NAM countries through Egypt, the chair of the NAM Coordinating Bureau in New York.

It said the holding of the summit will be moved next year.

“We believe all hands must be on deck in the relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction of the lives and communities of our countrymen. Therefore, all must focus their efforts and resources on this major and substantial task,” the DFA said in a one-page statement.

“While we remain committed to the cause of peace through interfaith dialogue, our priority now should be the immediate and long term needs of our people,” it added.

President Arroyo has directed Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo to consult with his counterparts from 117 other influential NAM countries to discuss the possibility of postponing or moving the hosting of the summit to a later date because the government got tied up with its reconstruction effort.

“We are confident our partners and friends, who have been helping us in our hour of distress brought about by the calamities, will understand our decision to move the holding of the SNAMMM to an appropriate date next year,” the DFA said.

The Philippines has been asked to initiate the summit, which is expected to tackle Islamic issues and global development.

Malacañang earlier described the summit’s hosting as a great opportunity for the Philippines to attract assistance from Muslim countries in forging lasting peace in troubled Mindanao.

NAM, which traces its origins to the historic Afro-Asian Summit held in Bandung, Indonesia in 1955, is the developing world’s leading political caucus in the UN system. The NAM member-countries represent nearly two-thirds of the United Nations’ members that comprise 55 percent of the world population.