Libya sends peacekeepers as M'sia pulls out: Philippines
Mon, May 12, 2008
AFP
MANILA, THE PHILIPPINES - LIBYA is to boost its peacekeeping force in the southern Philippines, a Filipino official said on Monday, as Malaysia began pulling out its troops amid an impasse in peace talks with Muslim separatists.
President Gloria Arroyo asked Libya to help as Malaysia began a phased withdrawal of its 40 soldiers and policemen from the southern island of Mindanao.
Tripoli, which already has six monitors on Mindanao, has agreed to send 25 people to fill the void left by the Malaysians, said Jesus Dureza, an Arroyo adviser on the peace process.
The small multinational peacekeeping team has been monitoring a ceasefire between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) since 2003 and is credited with reducing conflict and tensions in the region.
Manila's political settlement with the 12,000-member MILF has become bogged down in recent months over the breadth of territory to be put under the rebel group's control.
Kuala Lumpur said last week it would not continue with an unlimited deployment in the monitoring team without any apparent progress in the peace talks, sparking fears of renewed civil war.
'The Libyan government has agreed to send 25 ceasefire monitors to assist (and) sustain the ceasefire in Mindanao,' Mr Dureza said in a statement.
Spokesmen for the Libyan embassy here could not be reached for comment late Monday. -- AFP
