DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
P R E S S  R E L E A S E
www.dfa.gov.ph                                                                             2330 Roxas Blvd., Pasay City, Philippines                                                                        Tel. No. 834-4000 
SFA-AGR-689-07                                                                                                                                                       28 Aug 2007

RP AND INDONESIA MUST FIGHT TERRORISM TOGETHER, SAYS INDONESIAN VICE PRESIDENT  

28 August 2007 -- DFA Undersecretary for Special Concerns Rafael Seguis said that Indonesia has reaffirmed its strong support to the Philippine Government’s peace efforts and parallel fight against terrorism in southern Philippines .  

Undersecretary Seguis has just returned from Jakarta , where he met with Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla last Friday and briefed him on the current situation in Basilan and Sulu.   

Vice President Kalla appreciated the extensive briefing on the operations in Basilan and Sulu against the terror activities of the Abu Sayyaf Group, including its killing and mutilation of 10 Philippine Marines in Basilan last June.  

To counter terrorist activities in the region, Kalla pushed for enhancing mutual cooperation to curtail cross-border movements of terror suspects between ASEAN neighbors like Indonesia and the Philippines .  

Seguis added that Vice President Kalla revealed that he received an MNLF delegation on 18 August in Jakarta .  The MNLF delegation had a letter from MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari addressed to the Indonesian President H.E. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.  

Kalla told the MNLF delegation that Indonesia does not support the independence of Muslims from the Philippines .  He stressed that the problems in Mindanao could only be solved through dialogue and compromise with the Philippine Government.  

Vice President Kalla was also briefed on the GRP’s peace and development programs in Muslim Mindanao.  

Undersecretary Seguis conveyed Philippine appreciation to Indonesia for its unrelenting support to establish lasting peace in Mindanao .  Indonesia facilitated the GRP-MNLF peace talks, which resulted in the signing of the 1996 GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement.   

Indonesia is also Chairman of the Committee of the Eight (C8) of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which is mandated to monitor the implementation of the Peace Agreement.  It was the only OIC country to send monitors to the ARMM from 1996 to 2002 as part of the Joint Monitoring Committee.  

The OIC Foreign Ministers have acknowledged that Phase 1 of the 1996 GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement has been fully implemented by the Philippine national government.  

Undersecretary Seguis reiterated to Indonesia the GRP’s readiness to participate in the Tripartite Meeting with the MNLF and the OIC, under the stewardship of Indonesia as C8 Chair, to review the implementation of Phase 2 of the Peace Agreement. END

/Gary

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