July 3, 2012 News: Members of the MILF panel will meet today the Indonesian ambassador to the Philippines at an undisclosed location in Cotabato City to discuss issues related to the fielding of the 15-man contingent from Jakarta, as part of the 60-man International Monitoring Team (IMT).

Mohagher Iqbal, head of the MILF peace panel, and Atty. Datu Michael Mastura, a senior panel member, will lead the MILF in the meeting with the visiting diplomat, who will be accompanied by four other Indonesian embassy officials.

Other MILF officials, who are expected to join the meeting, are Jun Mantawil, head of the MILF peace panel secretariat, Mike Pasigan, also a member of the same secretariat, and Sheikh Mohammad Suwaib, executive director of the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA).

Asked to comment on the meeting, Mantawil described it as very historic, saying Indonesia used to be involved only on the GPH-MNLF peace negotiation in the past.

“Their involvement in the GPH-MILF peace process is something very encouraging,” he added.

Ambassador Kristiarto S. Legowo, who is a Christian, arrived in Cotabato City to personally accompany the Indonesian contingent to the IMT headquarters in Cotabato City.

The invitation for Indonesia to join the IMT was signed by Iqbal for the MILF and Ambassador Rafael Seguis for the Government of the Philippines (GPH) in December 2009.

At present, the IMT is made up of Japan, Malaysia, Brunei, Libya, Norway, and now Indonesia. The European Union handles the Humanitarian, Relief, and Development Component of the IMT.

However, in the case of Libya, its peace monitors have gone home but have not yet replaced them yet