(Photo by OPAPP)
The Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB), the mechanism established by the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panels and tasked to oversee the decommissioning of MILF weaponry and combatants reconvened last Tuesday, October 20, with a new chair and chief of staff, according to a report posted at OPAPP Website on October 22.
The
seven-man team is now headed by Turkish Ambassador Mustafa Pulat, with two
other foreign experts and four other local experts nominated by the GPH and the
MILF panels, the report said.
The meeting
was also attended by GPH peace panel members -- former Agriculture secretary
Senen Bacani and National Commission on Muslim Filipinos Secretary Yasmin
Busran-Lao. Retired Lieutenant General Rey Ardo and Professor Mario Aguja, two
of the local experts assigned with the IDB were also present.
Amb.Pulat
succeeds Ambassador Haydar Berk who led the team that was instrumental in
guaranteeing a smooth decommissioning of the initial 145 MILF combatants and 75
crew-serve and high powered armaments last July.
Aside from
Pulat, the IDB is also being reinforced by the appointment of Norway
Hovland led
the IMT in restoring the ceasefire that broke down on January 25 in Mamasapano
and in conducting the IMT's own investigation on the incident.
He is
joined by three other Norwegians who will head the Joint Verification and
Monitoring Teams (JVMTs) of the IDB who are taking turns in administering the
weapons storage area of the decommissioned firearms inside Camp Iranun
These three
are Inger Grete, a retired female police officer, and Jan Stenvik and Asbjorn
Lode, who have previously served in various peace-keeping capacities in
different parts of the world. Every JVMT has a member each from the Armed
Forces of the Philippines
During
Pulat’s team’s courtesy call on Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles and GPH peace panel chair Miriam
Coronel-Ferrer on October 22, he said that, “People on the ground are closely
watching what is happening to the 145 initially decommissioned combatants. We
are here, ready to assist, and willing to do whatever is necessary to ensure
the success of the process.”
“The
Government of the Republic of Turkey supports the efforts of the Philippine
Government in bringing a lasting peace to Mindanao
and thus, is committed to its work within the IDB. We believe that Ambassador
Mustafa Pulat, as a qualified and able diplomat, will continue contributing to
the work of the IDB,” said the Embassy of Turkey on Pulat’s assignment. Prior
to being IDB chief, Pulat served as Turkey ’s
Ambassador to the Abuja-Federal Republic of Nigeria (2013-2015) and as the
country’s Consul General in Berlin
Decommissioning
is one of the important components of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro
(CAB) signed in 2014 by the government and the MILF. It is under the bigger and
broader normalization arrangement which seeks to return normalcy to communities
affected by the decades-long armed conflict in Mindanao .
“Decommissioning
is a very critical part of the similarly critical normalization process. As you
understand, there is still no BBL so you are joining us at a crucial and
interesting time,” said Deles to Pulat. “We appreciate you getting on board at
this time. It is our view that it is better to have systems and the
architecture in place for decommissioning even before the basic law is passed
rather than scramble later.”
GPH Chair
Ferrer, meanwhile, stressed that she looks forward to seeing a “fully working
IDB very soon.”
“Administratively,
the OPAPP and the Panel can assist the IDB but the single, most important thing
is for IDB to work closely with the MILF with regard a detailed verification of
the MILF combatants.” (Source: OPAPP Website)
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/new/item/631-idb-reconvenes-anew-under-a-new-chair
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.