15 August 2005 –  Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo welcomed to the Philippines the thirteen new members of the Malaysian contingent to the International Monitoring Team (IMT) who arrived in Manila today to monitor the existing ceasefire agreement between the Philippine Government (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Foreign Affairs Senior Foreign Affairs Adviser Ambassador Leonides Caday represented the Secretary in extending the warm welcome to the members of the Malaysian contingent of the IMT – headed by First Admiral Mohd Som bin Ibrahim – upon their arrival at 2:15 this afternoon at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH704.

Joining Ambassador Caday in receiving the Malaysian officers were IMT head Major General Zulkifeli bin Mohd Zin of Malaysia, MILF Ceasefire Committee Chair Von Al Haq, GRP Ceasefire Committee Chair Brig. Gen. Ramon Santos, and Acting Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Undersecretary Rene Sarmiento.

The 13 new members of the IMT arrived to replace the first batch of Malaysian contingent that left also today.

Ambassador Caday said the arrival in the Philippines of the IMT in October 2004 is part of the ongoing GRP and MILF efforts to facilitate and strengthen the ceasefire agreement through the support of Malaysia.  The IMT is intended to have a multi-national character – led by Malaysia as third country facilitator, and joined by Brunei Darussalam and Libya – to monitor the existing ceasefire agreement and report incidences of encounters between the GRP and the MILF.

The next set of IMT members will arrive on 25 August, and another on 5 September 2005, Ambassador Caday added.  END.