Manila - Brunei is likely to join Malaysia in pulling out peacekeeping troops from the Philippines. The troops have been involved in monitoring a truce between the government and Muslim rebels in the conflict-prone island of Mindanao.
Media reports say that the two Muslim countries will not renew their peace-monitoring commitment in Mindanao, once the mandate with the International Monitoring Mission expires in September.
An official from Brunei`s ministry of defense said that the oil-rich state will follow Malaysia`s footsteps and withdraw its troops.
"Brunei will probably pull out its men from Mindanao if Malaysia does," said an unnamed official in a report in Brunei`s Borneo Bulletin newspaper.
Led by Malaysia, the IMT contingent includes troops from Brunei and Libya. It was created after the Filipino government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front agreed to a ceasefire in 2001 and decided to pursue negotiations for a settlement of the conflict which began in 1976.
Malaysian officials had warned Manila and the MILF that if both parties did not show that they were committed to fostering peace, Kuala Lumpur would pull out its soldiers.
"The thing is we have to get cooperation from both sides. But if one party is not making the effort, we will have to end the mission," said Malaysia`s foreign minister Rais Yatim.
Meanwhile, the MILF said that they fear the peace process would be hampered indefinitely if the international observers left.
"There is apprehension of course and with the impending pull out of the IMT, we don`t know what will happen," said Eid Kabalu, the rebel spokesman in an interview with Filipino news website, GMA News.
"We really cannot predict the future of the peace talks, but we have been so many times urging the Philippine government to resume the stalled peace talks and nothing has come up."
He also said that since the arrival of the IMT, clashes between government`s forces and rebels have significantly decreased.
Last year, peace talks between Manila and local rebels were hampered after they disagreed on the size of a new Muslim homeland.
Source: www.adnkronos.com (24 April 2008)
