Norway now part of truce monitoring

COTABATO CITY , Philippines  – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the military in Central Mindanao are both elated with the participation now of Norway in the monitoring of the 1997 agreement on cessation of hostilities.

The preliminary security agreement, which also underscores bilateral cooperation in the interdiction of criminals and terrorists in flashpoint areas in the South, was crafted in Cagayan de Oro City in 1997 by government and MILF representatives.

Norway now has representatives to the Malaysian-led international monitoring team (IMT) – also composed of soldiers and policemen from Brunei, Malaysia, and Libya, and non-uniformed socio-economic experts from Japan – that has been helping enforce the ceasefire in many flashpoint areas in the South since late 2003.

MILF chief negotiator Muhaquer Iqbal said their central committee appreciates the involvement now of Norway and the central leadership of the European Union in the enforcement of the ceasefire along with members from other countries.  

Iqbal said representatives of the MILF and the Norwegian peacekeeping contingent met the other day and discussed extensively the intricacies of the security, human protection, and socio-economic components of their peace overture with the Aquino administration.

Iqbal said the meeting was also attended by their most senior peace negotiator, lawyer Michael Mastura, and Norwegian nationals Oddvar Midtkandal and Tor Fredrik Moe, and the EU representatives to the monitoring team, Susan Robertson and Cynthia Petrigh.

Maj. Marlowe Patria, civil-military relations officer of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said they are now constructing a building near the gate of Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao to house the 6th ID’s “special concerns group” that will attend to peace and security concerns of communities where there are foreign-funded projects complementing the peace process.

Patria said the commander of the 6th ID, Maj. Gen. Anthony Alcantara, will also use the new building as reception area for foreign outfits helping push forward the government-MILF peace effort.

“Gen. Alcantara wants the 6th ID to become very accessible to all of these groups helping in the enforcement of the government-MILF ceasefire and in the implementation of various projects meant to boost the peace talks,” Patria said.

Patria, however, said all of the 6th ID’s peace initiatives will closely be coordinated with the government’s coordinating committee on the cessation of hostilities.

“The 6th ID will adhere to all communication protocols jointly set by the government and the MILF as a framework on how to relate with each other,” Patria said.

Patria said Alcantara, a peacekeeping doctrine specialist, is elated with Norway’s involvement now in the monitoring of the ceasefire.

“How can the peace talks now fail when there are foreign governments and international organizations helping push it forward? The government-MILF talks have progressed into a showcase of international peace-building cooperation,” Patria quoted Alcantara as saying in an official statement yesterday.