The meeting continues a process of dialogue that began with a Memorandum of Understanding that was signed in March in the city of Butuan, in which religious leaders sought to find a final solution to the conflict.

Fighting between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Filipino military broke out in the 1970s. After a lull it began in earnest in the summer 2008 after the government broke off peace talks.  

Religious leaders have welcomed President Arroyo’s decision to take part in the summit. “Too much politics undermine moral concerns in the drafting of solutions to our problems”, some of then were quoted as saying.

Ms Arroyo said that she will be at the conference to present her own plan for moral renewal, an issue that has always dogged the country’s political life.

For the BUC the rule of law is one of the key elements in finding a solution to the conflict. Similarly the problem of corruption will be a major issue in next year’s presidential election.

Local Church leaders and ulama agree that reforms need to take into account the moral dimension to overcome present divisions between local and national leaders, which often undermine efforts made to solve the country’s problems, including the conflict in Mindanao.

For his part Sheikh Mohammad Muntassir, head of the MILF committee on da’wah (advocacy call), said about the president’s participation that the BUC should remain objective and independent vis-à-vis the Mindanao peace process.  

Adding that men of religion with sound principles should not fall under the influence of the government, he said that he appreciated the efforts deployed by the BUC to bridge the gap between religious groups.