Cotabato - Malaysia`s Defense Force Chief General Tan Sri Abdul Aziz on Saturday said that the full withdrawal of their contingent in the International Monitoring Team (IMT) from Mindanao in August this year is final.
“Our mandate will end, no replacement. As of now, we don`t have a new mandate,” said Aziz.
Aziz arrived at Awang Airport Saturday morning on board a C-130 military plane together with Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The Malaysian defense official immediately went to Camp Darapanan in Simuay, Sultan Kudarat town in Shariff Kabunsuan to meet with top Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) officials. Esperon, meanwhile, proceeded to the headquarters of the Army`s 602nd Brigade.
The Malaysian general, whose post is the equivalent of Esperon`s, formally informed the MILF of his government`s decision to pull out its contingent in the IMT. He had private talks with top MILF officials.
Earlier reports said Malaysia will start the first phase of the pull out of its monitors starting May 10.
Aziz did not elaborate further the reason behind the pull out and on what was discussed during his more than 30-minute private meeting with MILF officials.
Effective role
Aziz proudly said that the IMT, particularly the Malaysian contingen, has played a very effective and significant role in monitoring the ceasefire between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and MILF on the ground.
Aziz added it is now the time for the GRP and MILF to strictly observe the ceasefire agreement.
Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Sealana, GRP chair of the Coordinating Committees on the Cessation of Hostilities, meanwhile said that he is confident that peace would still be maintained even with the pull-out of the Malaysian contingent in the IMT especially with the presence of monitors from Brunei, Japan and Libya.
MILF: Skirmishes may rise
Meanwhile, MILF peace panel chair Mohager Iqbal said that since the arrival of the IMT in Mindanao last 2004, the number of encounters between the GRP and MILF in the ground has dropped from almost a thousand to less than ten clashes.
The MILF official said it is possible that skirmishes may rise again once the Malaysians pull out from Mindanao.
On the other hand, Iqbal said the creation of a legal team by the government to review and re-study what has been agreed upon during the previous talks between the GRP and MILF peace panels is just a delaying tactic of the Philippine government.
The Philippine government, he said, has violated a certain provision of the terms of reference of the IMT, hence the Malaysian contingent decided to pull out its troops in Mindanao.
Iqbal blames the Arroyo administration in the delay of the resumption of peace talks, and said that the MILF is prepared in case the peace talks fail.
“The government and cabinet secretaries are the people to be blamed. Of course, the president, siya ang commander-in-chief eh,” said Iqbal.
Iqbal said that the Philippine government should also be prepared for the consequences of its decisions.
MILF: GRP violated IMT term of reference
An MILF official Friday said the Philippine government`s violation of a provision in the IMT`s Terms of Reference (TOR) is one of the reasons for Malaysia`s pull out from the IMT.
The MILF Central Committee on Information Web site, www. luwaran.com, reported Friday that Jun Mantawil, head of the MILF peace panel secretariat believes that the real reason why the Malaysians are leaving for home is because “the Philippine government had willfully, deliberately, and arrogantly violated Article 8 of the IMT-TOR, on Termination and/or Suspension of the IMT, particularly Sections ii and iii”
“The IMT might cease or suspend the performance of the functions, with due notice to the GRP and MILF Peace Panels, in the event of that: (i) The field situation becomes too dangerous and life threatening to its members; (ii) Either GRP or MILF fails to fulfill their commitments and responsibilities to the peace process; and (iii) There is lack of support from either GRP or MILF towards any of its reports,” said Mantawil, as quoted by Luwaran.
Mantawil accused the GRP of violating Section ii, “because it continuously sits on the peace talks and delays its resumption in spite of the fact that the GRP and MILF peace panels have practically agreed on the draft memorandum of agreement (MOA) on ancestral domain, as early as February 22, this year.”
Luwaran also said Mantawil also accused the government of violating Section iii “for deliberately ignoring the call of the Malaysian facilitator to resume the talks immediately as everything is already settled regarding the ancestral domain agenda.”
The GRP, the MILF Web site reported, instead insisted they are waiting for the findings of a legal team, which has already taken more than two months since February 22. It is not sure when lawyers would finish their assignment this month.
“GRP feigns innocence on IMT withdrawal and tells people especially non-government organizations (NGOs) that GRP wants IMT to stay, but Malaysia wants to pull out. The government wants to wash its hand on any repercussion of the IMT withdrawal,” Mantawil said.
Source: www.abs-cbnnews.com (5 Mei 2008)
