Both the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) reacted positively to the offer of Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki to help in the Mindanao peace process.

In Manila for a two-day visit, Mottaki made the offer during a press conference on Thursday.

Manouchehr expressed his government’s readiness in helping move forward the oft-stalled peace talks between GRP and MILF.

“If there are further requests in order to have greater participation from Iran, we will be willing to do so,” the Iranian official told journalists, adding the Philippines could give an example of peaceful co-existence.

Manouche r’s statement did not escape Ambassador Rafael Seguis, GRP peace panel chairman, and the MILF through Jun Mantawil, who chairs the Moro group’s Peace Panel Secretariat.

Seguis, undersecretary for Special Concerns of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), said the GRP appreciates Iran’s offer.

“Of course, we welcome with appreciation the offer of the Islamic Republic of Iran to assist in the peace process of GRP with the MILF. We would appreciate receiving what sort of assistance Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has in mind when he made that statement, through the Iranian Embassy here in Manila,” said the GRP chief negotiator.

On the other hand, the MILF described the offer as a positive sign.
“Iran’s offer to help the GRP-MILF peace process is a clear indication of the growing international support to the 13-year peace talks,” Mantawil said on the luwaran.net Web site.

The MILF official said four states have already been officially invited to join the ICG – the United Kingdom, Japan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. He said the first three indicated positive signs of their interest, but Saudi Arabia has not yet made any response.

In a related development, a very reliable source told the Manila Bulletin that Russia was also interested in helping advance the peace process.

“Russia has indicated interest in helping resolve the Mindanao conflict,” said the source who asked not to be identified for lack of authority to speak on the matter. He did not say how he got the information.

But Seguis had earlier said Russia was not among those invited to Malaysia in the latest GRP-MILF meeting.

The source said Russia’s interest might be because of the participation of Moro mujaheedin (Islamic fighters) during the Soviet-Afghan War in 1979 to 1989. He said Russia was also concerned that some Muslim Filipinos might be helping Chechnya against Russia.