The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, has expressed his deep concern about the increasing deterioration of the situation in the southern Philippines due to continued military operations, severely affecting civilians. "The uninterrupted military operations have resulted in the displacement of more than half a million civilians who live in shelters in dire conditions, " he said in a press statement issued here yesterday. Ihsanoglu warned that this situation empowers undisciplined elements who seek to abort the peace process and fuel extremist feelings. He urged the government of the Philippines and President Maria Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to rapidly return to the negotiating table in order to work out creative solutions matching agreements with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the requirements of the Supreme Constitutional Court, while continuing to work in the same positive spirit that led to the accomplishments made so far through negotiations and build upon these achievements in a bid to reach the just and durable peace desired by all. --MORE
