Monday, May 07, 2007 Libya beefs up participation in peace process
KORONADAL CITY -- Libya has increased its participation in the Mindanao peace process by deploying more personnel to the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team.
Mohagher Iqbal, peace panel chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said Libyan President Muammar Khaddafi authorized the deployment of five additional Libyans, increasing the delegation to nine.
The new Libyan IMT contingent members are Navy Colonel Guima Marash, Salah Aburziza, and Jamal Almadhon, political officers in the Libyan government.
They will reinforce their four comrades already serving in various IMT team sites in Mindanao.
Two more Libyan monitors will arrive within a few days from Tripoli, Libya to complete the line-up, Iqbal said in a statement posted recently at the rebels' website.
A modest welcome ceremony was held for the new Libyan personnel at the MILF peace panel office in Crossing Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Shariff Kabunsuan.
Libya, under Khaddafi, was one of the few Muslim states that responded to the distress call from the Moros of Mindanao from 1969 to 1973.
Libya sent to Mindanao, aside from food and medicines, their top officials in the person of Dr. Ali Treki, Libyan foreign minister, to help determine the situation of the Moros.
Libya was also suspected to be the source of arms used by early Moro National Liberation Front fighters to fight the Christian militia group Ilaga and Philippine Constabulary, which were conducting bloody forays into isolated Moro communities.
Early MNLF firearms were Belgian FAL, Russian made rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and various calibers of machineguns. They also have 60 and 81mm mortars.
Libya's increased participation in the Mindanao peace process followed Japan's direct official involvement in moves to attain lasting peace on the island.
Japan's role in the Mindanao peace process was committed by Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso during his visit to the country last year.
Japan fielded an economic development expert to the foreign truce monitoring team. Its participation to the foreign truce team marked the first time that a non-member of the influential Organization of Islamic Conference is directly involved in the Mindanao peace process.
