RP ‘surprised’ at Malaysia monitors’ pullout

04/23/2008

Manila--- The Philippines on Tuesday said it was surprised at Malaysia’s decision to end its monitoring mission to the troubled southern Mindanao island this year.

The government’s chief peace adviser Jesus Dureza said he had just finished a trip to Kuala Lumpur and officials there had given “no indication of any announcement of total withdrawal.”

“I feel that we, as neighbors, should be working very closely for peace,” Dureza said. “I am confident that Malaysia will be with us all the way.”

Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim on Monday said his government in September would pull out its monitoring team from Mindanao where the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has been waging a rebellion since 1978.

“The thing is, we have to get the cooperation from both sides,” the official Bernama news agency quoted Rais as saying. “But if one party is not making the effort, we will have to end the mission.”

The Philippines is perceived to be deliberately dragging its feet on the peace agreement, the most contentious

issue of which is the ancestral domain being claimed by the MILF.

The Department of Foreign Affairs also yesterday said it has not received an official notification from the Malaysian government that it is withdrawing its peace monitoring contingent in Mindanao.

Rafael Seguis, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for special concerns, said the Philippine government will respect the decision of Malaysia, but hopes that it will reconsider its position if the reports are true.

“One thing I know is that the we have not received an official communication from the Malaysian government regarding this. I don’t want to speculate at the moment and make further comments until we receive the formal notification if Malaysia will withdraw all or some of the monitors,” Seguis said in a telephone interview.

“But it’s their sovereign right. We have to respect their right to make decisions on their own. It’s their call. That’s their own decision,” he added.

Malaysian peacekeepers, who are leading the International Monitoring Team (IMT), have been in Mindanao since 2004 to monitor the ceasefire agreement signed between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). They are joined by Brunei, Canada, Libya and Japan.

“I hope they will consider the impact of the withdrawal (of the peace monitors) on the peace process since they are the main mediators and they know what will happen to the peace process,” Seguis said, but added that it is too early to determine the effect of Malaysia’s withdrawal in Mindanao.

He also believes that Malaysia may only gradually reduce its troops and will not withdraw its entire contingent in Mindanao.

“I think they might just reduce the number of monitors but I don’t they will withdraw completely. Once we receive it (the notice), we will assess the effect on the peace process later on,” Seguis said.

Dureza yesterday denied reports that the Malaysian IMT will be pulling out as a show of disgust to the unimpressive peace process between the Philippine government and the MILF.

In a text message, Dureza said the report is not accurate since the matter was not even brought up by Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Jib Razak in a conversation with him and National Security Norberto Gonzalez in Kuala Lumpur recently.

This early , the alleged planned pullout of Malaysian peacekeepers in Mindanao was perceived as a major factor that could negatively affect the the ceasefire between the Philippines and the MILF, as aired by GRP peace panel chief Rodolfo Garcia.

The pullout was said to be caused by perception that peace talks are not headed anywhere.

The aspect on ancestral domain which was being pursued by the MILF but was not granted yet by the government was said to be the main reason behind the disappointment the IMT members, initial reports said.

Manila and the MILF struck a deal in November — after seven years of talks — on creating a Muslim homeland in the country’s south, which was expected to lead to an accord.

But the talks have been bogged down by disagreements over economic control of so-called ancestral lands demanded by the 12,000-strong MILF.

Dureza said he remains confident that Malaysia, which has been hosting the peace talks, still plays a “very important role” in the peace process and stressed that efforts were being made to bring the negotiations back on track.

MILF chief Murad Ebrahim last month said the group was not optimistic it would sign a final peace accord with the government of President Arroyo. He warned that continued foot-dragging by Manila could spark fresh hostilities. AFP

Garcia was quoted as saying that there could also be a breakdown in the nearly five-year-old ceasefire between government forces and the MILF as the withdrawal of peace monitors would affect negotiations.

“There’s no guarantee of continued stability on the ground in the south if the Malaysians pack up their bags and go home,” Garcia said.

But he insisted that there will be no pullout, and that the foreign minister simply meant a “recomposition of the team.”

But Rais also stated, as quoted by Bernama, that the the IMT mandate expires in September. Michaela P. del Callar, Sherwin C. Olaes and AFP