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THE
government on Wednesday announced that Malaysia remains
committed in facilitating the peace talks with the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) despite the withdrawal
of 29 of its 41 peacekeepers in Mindanao this weekend.
The last
batch of Malaysian peacekeepers are also set to pull out
by August.
President Arroyo met with visiting Malaysian Foreign
Minister Rais Yatim on Wednesday in Malacañang, but the
two did not discuss Malaysia’s decision to pull out its
peacekeepers in
Mindanao.
Secretary Jesus Dureza, presidential adviser on the
peace process, said there was no discussion on the
withdrawal of Malaysian peacekeepers in Mindanao during
their meetings.
He said
the Philippine panel did not raise the pullout issue
during the bilateral meeting with the Malaysian foreign
minister, saying the discussion merely focused on
strengthening bilateral ties on trade and education.
“During
the meetings, there were no detailed discussions on the
peace process. The message from the Malaysian foreign
minister is that whatever the Philippines would feel
comfortable about, we will notify them officially,” said
Dureza in a briefing at the Department of Foreign
Affairs.
The
issue will be discussed at a diplomatic level between
Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo and Yatim, he said.
“The
decision [to pull out of
Mindanao] has already been made by them [Malaysian officials], and we
would like to respect that decision,” said Dureza.
He added
that the peace process can still work despite the
absence of some members of the International Monitoring
Team because of the willingness of both the military and
the MILF in pursuing peace agreement remains firm.
Foreign
Affairs Undersecretary for Special concerns Rafael
Seguis stressed that the pull out of Malaysian
peacekeepers should not indicate a failure of the peace
process.
Seguis
said the role of the Malaysian government in the peace
process is two-pronged, these include facilitation and
monitoring of cease-fire.
“The
withdrawal of Malaysian peacekeepers does not mean an
end of the peace process.
Malaysia will
continue to facilitate because they have not announced
an end of their role in the facilitation,” said Seguis
during the briefing at the Department of Foreign
Affairs.
Meanwhile, Dureza stressed that the government should
not be blamed for sitting on the peace negotiations with
the MILF citing that “due diligence” is being made to
review the draft agreement.
“We are
looking for ways and means to see to it that we don’t
violate the Constitution,” said Dureza.
He said
the peace process can still push through because
peacekeepers from Libya, and Brunei, will remain
deployed in Mindanao. Peace monitors from Libya will be
temporarily be posted in Cotabato, while those from
Libya will be stationed in Iligan province.
“This is
just a temporary arrangement when the May 10 withdrawal
takes effect. I believe the withdrawal of Malaysian
peacekeepers will not disrupt the cease-fire,” said
Dureza.
He said
the government has other options that include asking
other countries to “augment the number of peacekeepers
in
Mindanao or deploy the locals and members of the Bishops and Ulama to
assist in cease-fire monitoring.”
The
Malaysian peacekeeping force, composed of 41 military
and police officers had in Mindanao since 2004 as part
of the IMT. They were joined by 10 military officers
from Brunei and five from Libya. The IMT is being
supported by Canada, and Japan.
The IMT
has been tasked to monitor violations of the 2001
cease-fire agreement forged between the government and
the MILF. |
