Kota Kinabalu - The Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT) in Mindanao has averted several potentially bloody clashes between government troops and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Philippine presidential adviser on the peace process in Mindanao, Jesus Dureza, said that whenever there was tension between both sides, the 60 Malaysian peacekeepers would intervene to calm the situation.
He said the IMT, which also comprises 10 military officers from Brunei and five from Libya, had been effective in preventing the escalation of tension in Mindanao because it commanded the respect of both the Philippine government and the MILF.
"The Malaysian IMT has established goodwill on both sides and it deserves the highest accolades for averting several potentially bloody clashes," said Dureza, when contacted in Manila.
The Philippines` confidence and trust in the Malaysian IMT was reflected in the recent extension of its peace keeping mission for another three months.
Dureza said the presence of the IMT in the conflict-ridden Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) had made peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the MILF possible.
The two sides recently made a major breakthrough in their peace talks in Kuala Lumpur, which were brokered by Malaysia.
Having overcome an impasse in negotiations over the size of a future Moro homeland, both sides are now ready for formal talks, which are expected to take place in the middle of November.
Source: www.brunei-online.com (3 November 2007)
