THE Malaysian government will not abandon the
GRP-MILF peace process despite the impending withdrawal of its
peace monitors in the South.
Malaysian armed forces chief Gen. Tan Sri
Abdul Aziz gave this assurance to AFP chief Hermogenes Esperon
Jr. yesterday at Camp Aguinaldo and later at a meeting with
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr.
Aziz said Malaysia's role in the peace
process was to head the International Monitoring Team (IMT) and
act as a facilitator to the formal talks. "Malaysia will
continue its commitment to the peace process in Mindanao," he
said.
The Philippine government and the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front have been negotiating for peace for 11
years.
Malaysia sent military personnel in Mindanao
in 2004 to head the IMT, which is also composed of
representatives from Brunei, Libya and Japan. The IMT oversees
the implementation of a standing ceasefire between the
government and the MILF.
Aziz said the peace monitors will be
withdrawn starting Sept. 1. "I'm here to discuss the withdrawal
plan of these people (Malaysia peace monitors) when their term
ends Oct. 1," he said.
But Aziz hinted there could be a new format
of the IMT after August 31 that would be negotiated between both
governments.
When asked about the reconfiguration of the
IMT, Aziz said: "There could a reduction in force or in the mix
in the combination of the international monitoring team."
Aziz downplayed fears that the withdrawal of
the Malaysian peace monitors will cause a breakdown in the peace
and order situation in the South.
"Since we were there, the number of (violent
incidents) reduced tremendously from 700 to only about 15. I'm
sure they (people) wouldn't like to go back to the old days when
they were fighting. We are very confident that the situation
will continue to improve," he said.
Esperon echoed Aziz's statement.
"It would probably the people in Mindanao
themselves who would go for the avoidance of any incidents
because everybody loves the prevailing situation."
Aziz arrived last Wednesday. He will visit
the Malaysian peace monitors based in Davao City before
returning home on Sunday.
Rodolfo Garcia, chief government negotiator
who was also at Camp Aguinaldo, said the withdrawal of the
Malaysian contingent, although sizeable, would not be the end of
the IMT.
"There are three other countries involved in the monitoring
team, Libya, Brunei, and Japan," he said. - Victor Reyes
