Wednesday, December 27, 2006 Canada signifies desire to join peace talks monitoring team By Bong Garcia
THE Canadian government has signified its desire to join the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT) that monitors the peace process between the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The desire of joining the IMT was relayed to the MILF leaders by Canada's Political Affairs and Public Economic Relations Counselor Steven Rheault-Kihara in a meeting last week in Sultan Kudarat.
The MILF said in a statement that Canada's role will be in the nature of "civilian observer" once accepted in the 60-man Malaysian-led IMT.
Rheault-Kihara told the MILF officials that Canada has an expertise on governance especially on the affairs of the indigenous peoples, whom they referred to back home as "First Nations."
There are scores of indigenous tribes in Canada, which enjoyed full rights to self-determination especially the Inuits and Nunavuts.
"They are self-governing "nations" within their ancestral domains and with full access and ownership to their resources." He explained.
The Canadian official also disclosed that recently the Canadian Prime Minister had announced the full recognition of Quebecois as a nation within Canada.
At present, the IMT is composed of Malaysia, Brunei, Libya, and Japan.
Sweden has been admitted, but still has to wait for the formal invitation from the MILF and government peace panels before it can send its initial three-man representatives.
Sweden has asked for 10 representatives to the IMT, but the government and MILF have approved only three.
The Canadian embassy official was met by Ghazali Jaafar, MILF vice chairman for political affairs, Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief peace negotiator, Atty. Michael Mastura, Atty. Musib Buat, both members of the MILF peace panel, Al Camlian, head of the MILF technical committee, and Jun Mantawil, head of the MILF peace panel secretariat.
Canada will be the sixth country to join the IMT, which will make it a truly multinational monitoring team.
