Malaysian peace monitors coming

A nine-member advance party of Malaysian observers is set to fly to Mindanao shortly to prepare the ground for a mission of foreign ceasefire monitors ahead of peace talks between Manila and Muslim separatists, the two sides said yesterday.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) spokesman Eid Kabalu said the mission would arrive on March 14.

Military spokesman Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia said the Malaysians were "arriving sooner than expected" but declined to give specific dates.

"It is not for us or the MILF to disseminate the itinerary or be specific about it. All I can say is that the advance survey team will be in the country for nine days," he said.

Manila has asked Malaysia and several other Muslim countries to provide observers from their armed forces to monitor a ceasefire between the government and the MILF.

The two sides are set to hold peace talks to be hosted by Kuala Lumpur sometime next month.

Kabalu told reporters by telephone that the all-Malaysian advance party would receive separate briefings at military as well as MILF camps.

"The all-Malaysian nine-man team would be the advance party of the international monitoring team from various OIC (Organization of the Islamic Conference) countries," Kabalu added without elaborating.

The MILF has been waging a low-level armed campaign for 25 years to set up an Islamic state.

The Malaysian and Philippine governments are investigating suspicions that the MILF is keeping ties with terrorists.

Six Indonesians recently arrested by Malaysian police had allegedly received training from Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional militant group linked to al-Qaeda, in an MILF-run camp.

Manila said peace negotiations will continue as scheduled in spite of the allegations. The MILF denies keeping ties with terrorists. — Christina Mendez, AFP