GMA sends new RP team to Kuala Lumpur

A new team of five-man Philippine government officials led by Presidential Assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza are flying tomorrow to Kuala Lumpur to conduct "exploratory" talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who were asked by Malaysian authorities, as third party facilitator, to meet and discuss possible resumption of the peace talks.

President Arroyo gave the go-signal for the Dureza team to fly to Kuala Lumpur after meeting with her at Malacañang yesterday where they discussed the possible "talking points" in the exploratory talks with MILF leaders in consultation with the respective local government executives in the "conflict-affected" areas in Mindanao.

"I’m adding a member of the Department of National Defense, to be a member of the panel because I want to stop this occurrence that have happened several times where they have agreement and they come back here and official of the area or the defense establishment will take exceptions to what was agreed on," President Arroyo told Palace reporters.

"So from the beginning, when our back channelers go to talk with either the other party or third party facilitators, they already have a consensus that they will be bringing with them," the President pointed out.

The Chief Executive said Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Eduardo Ermita nominated Defense Undersecretary Antonio Santos to join the Dureza team to Kuala Lumpur.

"Departure will be on the 26th of this month because the meeting in Kuala Lumpur will be on the 27th, there would be a delegation coming from the government," Dureza told Palace reporters.

This will be exploratory in nature. It means there will be no agenda and we will be meeting with our counterparts," he said.

Dureza said the new team would follow up the "back-channel" talks earlier conducted separately in Kuala Lumpur by Presidential adviser on special concerns Norberto Gonzales and Ambassador Roberto Romulo who met with acting Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi.

Asked if their holding the talks in Kuala Lumpur would result to resumption of the formal peace negotiations between the government and the MILF which was stalled following the military offensives against MILF areas in Mindanao, Dureza replied: "It’s exploratory so this should pave the way, if this will be successful, for the next steps."

"So I would really prefer not to make any indications one way or the other. We would like to go there (Kuala Lumpur) and try and work hard on it but we have to listen to the other side also," he pointed out.