RP, MILF relying on good faith in ceasefire

ZAMBOANGA CITY – The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are relying on good faith in abiding by the five-year ceasefire with the help of the local monitoring team (LMT) to keep tabs on the five-year truce.

Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Sealana, chief of the government side in the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostility (CCCH), said the LMT would take over once the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT) pulls out.

Sealana said the LMT, composed of representatives from local governments, non-government organizations and religious groups, would play the role of the IMT.

Sealana said the local monitors would be observing the ceasefire in at least three sites which will be affected by the withdrawal of the IMT.

“The LMT helps fill the vacuum in the three sites located in Davao, General Santos and Zamboanga City,” Sealana said.

“The LMT has proven effective because they are directly coordinating on the ground,” he said.

Sealana said the remaining Malaysian forces and other foreign-based IMT representatives, including 10 from Brunei, six Libyans, and a civilian representative from Japan, will continue to oversee the other sites in Central Mindanao.

Sealana said the Malaysian contingent has not fully withdrawn its forces even after the Malaysian government decided to pull out of the IMT.

He said the pullout is done in phases until Sept. 9, when the monitors’ tour ends under the terms of reference.

“The Malaysian contingent is downsizing its peace keeping forces until Sept. 9. So from now to then the Malaysians still have seven military, two policemen and three civilian personnel under the IMT,” Sealana said.

Sealana said there is as yet no need for the local monitoring team to be augmented by military forces in the truce monitoring.

At the same time, Sealana said the government panel is constantly coordinating with its MILF counterpart.

Last week, Malaysia said 20 of its 41 peacekeepers would leave on May 10 and the rest would be withdrawn by the end of August.

The move comes after the Malaysia-brokered peace talks floundered in December when MILF negotiators walked away from a meeting to protest the GRP’s position that any accord should conform to the Philippine Constitution.

The pullout also triggered fears of renewed hostility breaking out in the absence of the monitoring team.

The MILF though ordered its guerrilla units to abide by the 2003 ceasefire with the Philippine government even after the Malaysian peacekeepers withdraw.

On the other hand, the government said the pullout of Malaysia from the IMT would not spell the end of peace talks with the MILF.

Officials expressed hope that Malaysia would still continue to facilitate the peace negotiations with the MILF.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Special Concerns Rafael Seguis and Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said the Philippines had conveyed to Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim the government’s intention for Malaysia to continue with their facilitation.

“The peace process should not end there,” Seguis said.

President Arroyo received the Malaysian official at Malacañang, after which Rais held talks with Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo.

“The President expressed her thanks to the Malaysian government for all the efforts and assistance it’s giving us in our peace process in the southern Philippines,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita later told reporters.

Rais did not speak to the press after the meeting.

Dureza joined the meeting yesterday and said officials expressed hope that the Malaysians “would continue with their facilitation in our negotiations.”

Dureza said there was no detailed discussion of the peace negotiations with the MILF, but talks merely focused on how the two countries could improve bilateral trade.

Rais extended an invitation to Mrs. Arroyo to visit Kuala Lumpur.

Asked about Malaysia’s response to Manila’s intention for continued engagement in the negotiations, Dureza said Rais assured them that “the official response of Malaysia will be relayed to Romulo.”

Seguis, for his part, said officials had not asked for an extension of Malaysian participation in the IMT.

“A decision has been made by Malaysia and having accepted that decision, we asked them to please continue to help us with the peace process. We want to respect the decision that they’ve made,” Seguis said.

Malaysian troops make up the bulk of the 60-man IMT that has been monitoring the ceasefire since 2004. The outfit also includes officers from Brunei, Libya, Canada and Japan.

Since their deployment, violence between government and rebel forces has significantly decreased.

Britain announced last week that it would send experts in peace negotiations to the Philippines in the coming weeks to help re-start the stalled talks.

Seguis, on the other hand, rejected criticism about the delay in the talks with the MILF, saying they were working to ensure that a draft agreement did not violate the Constitution.

Rais arrived in Manila on Tuesday for a two-day visit as part of ASEAN’s tradition of newly installed foreign ministers visiting their counterparts in the region.

Rais called on the President and had a separate meeting with his counterpart.

Rais’s visit boosts efforts to enhance ties with Malaysia, the Philippines’ closest neighbor to the south. It was also an opportunity to explore new areas for cooperation at the bilateral level and within the context of ASEAN.

As Malaysia is host to about 200,000 Filipinos, the Philippines sought improvement in the treatment and working environment of Filipino workers there.  –With Pia Lee-Brago