Jakarta, 05 February -Indonesia expressed continued support to the Philippine bid to secure Observer Status in the OIC and will assist the Philippines in its efforts to obtain peace in Mindanao. This was the assurance given today by Indonesian Foreign Minister Noer Hassan Wirayuda to visiting Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert, who is in Jakarta on an official visit.

Secretary Albert is currently on a five-day swing through Southeast Asia that included an earlier stop in Bali, where she and DILG Secretary Jose Lina led the Philippine Delegation that participated in the Regional Ministerial Meeting on Counter-Terrorism Cooperation.

Secretary Albert expressed satisfaction that Indonesia has remained supportive of the Philippines' bid for OIC Observer Status.

"Indonesia is a valued friend and ally of the Philippines. Our bilateral relations are marked not only by a common desire to attain peace and progress for our peoples but they also reflect our continuing cooperation in the ASEAN, APEC, ARF, FEALAC and other regional and multilateral forums," she said.

"The Philippines looks up to Indonesia's leadership role in the OIC, where it is the Chairman of the OIC Committee of Eight. I am glad that Indonesia also welcomes our initiatives to bring lasting peace to Mindanao," she added.

Indonesia played a key role in the signing of the GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement in 1996 and continues to maintain a keen interest in the progress of the peace process in Mindanao. The Philippines formally filed its application for observer status in the OIC during the 30th Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) in Tehran in May 2003,  It hopes that the OIC Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Istanbul this year will take a positive action on the application, together with those of other countries.

Secretary Albert also noted the continuing cooperation by the Philippines and Indonesia on counter-terrorism activities, specifically in the areas of information sharing and law enforcement coordination.

"Our two countries have recognized the need for better  coordination by our respective law enforcement agencies to go after terrorists. Terrorism does not recognize borders or boundaries. But terrorists and their cohorts use borders to evade the full application of the law. I am glad that our two countries are taking concrete steps in cooperating to confront and defeat this scourge," she said.

Secretary Albert, who called on Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri later in the day, expressed satisfaction that while her visit to Indonesia was for only seventeen (17) hours, she was able to achieve her objectives.

"Indonesia and the Philippines have always enjoyed a warm relationship based on common ties of kinship. The purpose of this visit is to reinforce the bonds of friendship existing between our two countries and peoples. I believe that my visit had contributed to this endeavor and reaffirmed the strong ties between the Philippines and Indonesia," she added. END