|A two-man contingent from Norway has joined the International Monitoring Team (IMT) watching over the truce between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Mindanao. Kjell S. Harila had been designated chief operations officer at the IMT Headquarters which also being manned by military, police and civilian officers from the Governments of Malaysia, as Head of Mission, European Union, Norway, Japan and Brunei who comprise IMT Mindanao Batch 7 (M7).|
Assisting Harila is Tor Fredrik Moe, another Norwegian military officer.
Reports reaching Manila said the two arrived in Mindanao several days ago and had already reported for duty in Cotabato City to IMT M7 chief MGen Dato' Abdul Rahim Bin Mohd Yousuf of the Royal Malaysian Armed Forces.
IMT 7's task is to monitor the implementation of the security aspect of the peace process between the Philippine government and the MILF as well as provide protection to civilians, as well as socio-economic, humanitarian, rehabilitation and development assistance.
Originally, the government and MILF asked Norway to be the Head Coordinator in monitoring civilian protection accord within the mandate of the IMT. However, Norway opted to work on the security aspect.
Brigadier Ariel Bernardo, ceasefire panel chair for the government, expressed gratitude to Norway's commitment to the attainment of peace in southern Philippines.
Norway has been involved in efforts to bring peace in the Philippines for nearly a decade.
In the 1990's, Norway helped broker the peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the communist rebels under the banner of the National Democratic Front.
Although the talks led to the issuance of the so-called Hague Joint Declaration of 1992 recognising the rights of combatants and agreement adopting safety and immunity guarantees in 1995 by the NDF and the then government of then Fidel V. Ramos, the parties were not able to follow through.
Currently, peace negotiations between the igovernment of President Benigno Aquino III and the rebels are on a hiatus as a result of disagreements over the status of rebel peace negotiators with pending criminal cases.