The Cabinet oversight committee on internal security (COCIS) has pressed for a ceasefire with the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the resumption of peace talks. Presidential spokesman Ig-nacio Bunye said the COCIS’ meeting on Saturday on the instructions of President Gloria Arroyo, approved four principal talking points that it hopes will lead to the speeding up of negotiations. These are the formation of an acceptable team which will monitor ceasefire mechanisms on the ground; the establishment of a proposed area of temporary stay to avoid mis-encounters while negotiations are going on; the reaffirmation of the commitment of both sides to observe the joint communique of May 6, 2002, signed in Kuala Lumpur on how to address the issue of criminal elements seeking refuge in known MILF-occupied areas; and the need to pinpoint responsibility for the spate of bombings in urban areas and the toppling of National Power Corporation transmission lines. Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.