http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20070924hed5.html
Australia not joining truce team to Mindanao 09/24/2007 Australia yesterday said it will not join the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT) that observes the ceasefire agreement between Muslim rebels and Philippine troops in the Philippines' strife-torn southern Mindanao region. Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) spokesman Eid Kabalu earlier said Canberra was interested in being part of the IMT. "The Australian Embassy in Manila says Canberra has not expressed any interest to the Philippines to be involved in the operations," Ausralian network ABC news said. It added Australia has not received any formal request from the Philippine government to participate in the team's operations. In the meantime, Australia said it "will continue to support development and peace initiatives, including the peace process between the Philippine government and the MILF." The fourth batch of peacekeepers from Malaysia, Brunei and Libya arrived in the Philippines this month, and will stay for another three months after their tour of duty was extended by the government. Their posting expired last Aug. 30. A group of peace monitors from Japan will also join them. The IMT monitors development projects and assists in the drawing up of a comprehensive development plan for the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao. Manila and the MILF have yet to seal a peace agreement. A final peace accord with the rebels is expected to end more than two decades of Muslim rebellion in Mindanao, which has resulted in thousands of deaths for the MILF and government troops and displacement of families in the region. The MILF, the largest Islamic separatist movement in the country, has been waging an armed struggle against the government for the past 25 years. It is believed to have about 12,000 armed members. In the resumption of the Malaysian-brokered talks, both sides would continue to thresh out details on the return of ancestral domain to the MILF in southern Philippines, a contentious issue that continues to hamper the peace process. Michaela P. del Callar
