RP asks Malaysia not to abandon peace process with MILF

Manila - The Philippines on Wednesday asked Malaysia to continue to support the peace process in the country`s south after Kuala Lumpur pulls its peacekeepers from the restive region.

President Arroyo received Malaysian Foreign Secretary Rais Yatim at Malacanang palace, after which Rais held talks with Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo.

"The President expressed her thanks to the Malaysian government for all the efforts and assistance it`s giving us in our peace process in the southern Philippines," her chief aide, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, told reporters.

Rais did not speak to the press after the two meetings.

His visit follows an announcement by Kuala Lumpur last month that it would not send more monitors of a 2003 ceasefire between Manila and separatist rebels to the Mindanao region once their current mandate expires in September.

That move was widely seen as a sign of impatience at the slow progress of peace talks between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The 12,000-strong MILF has been fighting since 1978 to set up an Islamic state in the southern third of the largely-Christian Philippines.

The Philippines government and MILF signed the ceasefire to open the way for peace talks hosted by Malaysia and other Islamic nations.

Secretary Jesus Dureza, who advises Arroyo on the peace talks and who joined the meetings on Wednesday, said Filipino officials expressed the hope that the Malaysians "would continue with their facilitation in our negotiations."

But Foreign Affairs department spokesman Rafael Seguis said Filipino officials had not asked for an extension of the monitoring team.

"A decision has been made by Malaysia and having accepted that decision that they have made, we asked them to please continue to help us with the peace process. We want to respect the decision that they`ve made," Seguis said.

"The peace process does not end there."

Manila and MILF struck a deal last November to create a Muslim homeland in the country`s south. That agreement was expected to lead to a peace accord, but further talks have not been successful.

A key stumbling block has been the extent of territory to be handed over to MILF.

Malaysian troops have made up the bulk of an international team that has been monitoring the ceasefire since 2004. The outfit also includes officers from Brunei, Libya, Canada and Japan.

Since their deployment, violence between government and rebel forces has significantly decreased.

Britain announced last week that it will send experts in peace negotiations to the Philippines in the coming weeks to help re-start the stalled talks.

Seguis rejected criticism about the delay in the talks, saying they were working to ensure that a draft agreement did not violate the constitution.

Source: www.abs-cbnnews.com (8 Mei 2008)
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