Monday, July 2, 2012

Aquino government welcomes 15-member contingent from Indonesia


MANILA, July 2 (PNA) -- The Aquino administration welcomed the decision of Indonesia to send a 15-member contingent to the country as part of its contribution to a multinational team monitoring the ceasefire between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). "We needed 60 peacekeepers. We only have around 40 right now. And so it is good that Indonesia has offered to provide peacekeepers to us. They sent around 15, so kulang na lang siguro ng lima.... So that’s why we welcome the offer of Indonesia to come in and be observers," said Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Monday.
Last June 30, Indonesia deployed the contingent to Central Mindanao where the International Monitoring Team (IMT) is presently based, according to news reports.
The ceasefire-monitoring team from Indonesia will join the delegates from Malaysia, Brunei, Japan, Libya and Norway.
The inclusion of Indonesia in the IMT contingent was also a result of the request made in 2009 by Foreign Affairs official Rafael Seguis and MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal for Jakarta to send a contingent to the truce monitoring team.
Lacierda said the government is still hopeful towards arriving at a peace agreement with the MILF during the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III.
Last August, President Aquino met with MILF chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim in Tokyo, Japan as a show of government’s sincerity to move the peace process forward.m
The President and Murad agreed to fast track the negotiations to achieve a just and lasting peace in Mindanao. (PNA)

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