Manila Bulletin Online:GMA starts 2-day state visit to Libya

[tolibya]

By DAVID CAGAHASTIAN

President Arroyo will proceed to Libya this morning for her two-day state visit to that country, after a private trip to Brunei Darussalam yesterday to attend the festivities for the 60th birth anniversary of Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.


Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Mrs. Arroyo’s two-day state visit to Libya will focus on seeking for a more stable oil supply, increasing the Philippines’ attractiveness to Libyan investors, and mustering more support from Islamic countries for the Philippines’ efforts to achieve lasting peace in the Southern Philippines.

Mrs. Arroyo left at 12:40 p.m. yesterday aboard a private Lear jet bound for Brunei to attend the festivities for the 60th birth anniversary of Brunei’s ruler, His Majesty Sultan Bolkiah, at his royal palace in the capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan.

Aside from Mrs. Arroyo, other heads of state invited to attend the birth anniversary celebration of Sultan Bolkiah are Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Vice President Noli de Castro, who has assumed the traditional designation as "caretaker" of the country while the Chief Executive is abroad, led other government officials in the departure ceremonies held at the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

Ermita said Mrs. Arroyo will proceed to Libya from Brunei at 9 a.m. today, Sunday. She is expected to arrive in Libya’s capital of Tripoli on the same day at 6 p.m. (Tripoli time).

Mrs. Arroyo’s meetings with Libyan government officials, including Libyan leader Col. Muammar alQhadafi, will focus on bilateral cooperation in the areas of energy, trade and investments, tourism, and the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

The Chief Executive will also reiterate the country’s appeal to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), of which Libya is a well-respected member, to start the long-delayed deliberations for the Philippines’ application for observer status in the influential bloc of Islamic countries.

Mrs. Arroyo is also scheduled to hold meetings with the Filipino community in Libya to check on their concerns and assure them of better working conditions in that country.

The President is expected to be back in Manila on Tuesday morning.

Ermita earlier said Mrs. Arroyo will thank Libya for its support for the Philippines’ efforts to achieve peace in Mindanao. In the 1970’s, Libya facilitated the signing of the Tripoli Agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) which served as the mother agreement for the 1996 peace agreement between the two parties.

Libya had also facilitated the negotiations in 2001 between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) aimed then at resuming their peace talks which are currently ongoing.

Ermita said the military and the police are not expecting any destabilization attempts while the President is away, as he reiterated the assessment that the conspiracy against the government has been severely weakened with the recent arrests of Magdalo leaders.