The Government of Malaysia, which facilitated the GPH-MILF peace talks since 2001 and despite the current imbroglio in Sabah, had a sent a new contingent to the International Monitoring Team (IMT) based in Cotabato City.
The new Head of Mission of the 8th IMT contingent is Maj. Gen. Dato Fadzil Bin Mokhtar, who took over from Maj. Gen. Dato Abdul Rahim Bin Mohd Yusuff, Head of Mission of IMT Batch 7.
The new commander of the 54-member IMT told reporters that the changing of command, done at the end of the year-long tour of duty, may have been “wrong timing” but said he does not think their mission to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will be affected by the crisis in Sabah.
“I don’t think so,” he stressed, adding, “we are clear on our mission here to continue monitoring the ceasefire.”
The IMT’s main headquarters is in Cotabato City while its team sites are in the cities of Cotabato, General Santos, Iligan, Davao and Zamboanga.
The IMT-member countries are Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Libya and Norway.
The monitoring body has a military contingent of 19 members from Malaysia, 15 from Brunei, 14 from Indonesia and for development, humanitarian and rehabilitation aspects, two each from Japan, Norway and the European Union.
The IMT was established in 2004 to monitor the ongoing peace process between the Government of the Philippines and the MILF. Their task is to observe the implementation of cessation of hostilities signed between both parties, conduct field verifications on reported violations and coordinate closely with the Joint GPH-MILF Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities and the local monitoring teams
http://www.luwaran.com/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3149:malaysia-sends-in-new-batch-of-peace-monitors&catid=31:general&Itemid=41
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