Sunday, August 19, 2007 Arroyo to DFA: Work for extension of IMT mandate
WITH the mandate of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) supervising the Mindanao ceasefire expiring next month, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo directed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to undertake the necessary diplomatic initiatives to extend the life of the Malaysian-led group, and keep the peace process on track.
In her speech Tuesday night during the 109th anniversary of the DFA at the Rizal Hall of Malacañang, the President pointed out that the country’s foreign relations contribute not only in the fight against poverty but also in the pursuit of peace and progress in Mindanao.
"Foreign relations are an instrument in our vision to lift the Philippines into the status of a developed country in 20 years. And, Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), among other economic and trade platforms, provides the opportunity for economies to work together to lift up our poor, not just in the Philippines but all over the region," she said.
Last Monday, Arroyo issued six directives to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), three of which fall under the realm of the DFA.
These are laying the groundwork for the extension of the IMT mandate; the holding of urgent talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to keep the peace process, which resumes on August 22 in Malaysia, and keeping the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Committee of Eight posted on ongoing developments in Mindanao.
"It is now up to the DFA to exercise our diplomatic initiative and persuasiveness to try to have the mandate of the IMT extended before it expires next month," the she said.
The extension of the IMT mission in Mindanao is deemed crucial to ensuring stability on the ground while the negotiations are going on.
The presence of the peace monitors have prevented the escalation of some conflicts and strengthened the implementation of the agreement on the cessation of hostilities forged in July 2003 by both parties.
"And of course, our first line of contact with the OIC Committee is none other than their embassies here and therefore that is again the DFA," she said.
The OIC Committee of Eight is composed of Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Libya, Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, and Somalia.
President Arroyo said she is confident that the DFA's expertise in international relations would help move forward the country's national interest on the world stage. (PIA)
