Norway sends two peace monitors to Mindanao

Two Norwegian nationals had joined the international team helping the Philippine government enter into a peace agreement with Moro rebels and hopefully end the decades-old armed conflict in Mindanao. Tor Fredrik Moe and Oddvar Midtkandal joined the security component of the International Monitoring Team (IMT), which is helping monitor the implementation of the ceasefire and socio-economic and humanitarian agreements between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The two arrived in Cotabato City last Jan. 17. The security component of the IMT is headed by Malaysia and has 20 representatives, including Brunei and Libya, which have 15 and three members, respectively. Presidential adviser on the peace process Teresita Deles said Norway’s participation in the IMT is in accordance with an agreement between the government and the MILF. Deles said other member-countries of the European Union are also sending representatives to the IMT like French’s Cynthia Petrigh and UK’s Susan Margaret Robertson. The two will be involved in the humanitarian component. “It will strengthen the rehabilitation component of IMT and I expect that having women on the IMT may further increase sensitivity and attention to needs or issues of civilians and communities in areas affected by the armed conflict," she said of the new IMT members. Aside from the security and humanitarian component, the IMT also has a civilian protection component, which is headed by Malaysia, and a socioeconomic component, which is being overseen by Japan. MILF negotiating panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal assured the EU representatives that they would benefit from “all rights and means of protection conveyed by the MILF, as well as by the Philippine Government, to IMT." The government and MILF panels are expected to resume their exploratory talks in Kuala Lumpur from Feb. 9 to 10. The two panels met last Jan. 13 where they agreed to renew the mandate of the IMT and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG ). The IMT has been monitoring the ceasefire, socio-economic and humanitarian agreements between the government and the MILF since 2004, while AHJAG is a group of military and MILF representatives mandated to "isolate" and "interdict" kidnap-for-ransom groups, rogue or "lost command" rebel units and other criminal elements operating in Mindanao. During the meeting, the government committed that it would review and hasten the resolution of 25 MILF members who are now under police or military custody, and assured the MILF that they would be issuing identification cards to guarantee the safety and security of the secessionist groups’ members that are involve in the talks. - KBK, GMANews.TV