The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) made such clarification after news broke out on the IMT's three-month extension from August 31 to October 31, as agreed upon by the Malaysian government, the MILF, and the Philippine government.
In their website, www.luwaran.com, MILF peace panel secretariat head Jun Mantawil said the IMT extension is not a renewal but simply a grace period for the Philippine government "to pick up the pieces, focus, and decide to sign the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD)."
Mantawil said the three-month extension is sort of a holdover stint in Mindanao to create the necessary peaceful atmosphere once peace talks resume.
He said three months is enough for the government to wind up its temporary restraining order (TRO) case pending before the Supreme Court (SC).
Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim said on Thursday that Malaysia has acceded to a request by the Philippine government to extend the peacekeepers' mandate.
"A three-month period would be a reasonable extent of time for us to play that role to bring together the (peace) process," he said. "We are concerned about the continuing violence and this is the first segment of our address so that violence should stop."
Malaysia's decision follows the visit this week of Philippine government's chief negotiator in the peace talks, Rodolfo Garcia, and his rebel counterpart, Mohagher Iqbal.
A Malaysian Foreign Ministry statement said the government agreed to the three-month extension "in order to give space for both sides to resolve" their dispute in the SC.
Peace talks between government and the rebels have been brokered by Malaysia, which heads the ceasefire monitors that include both military and non-military personnel from Brunei, Libya, and Japan.
The monitors have been credited with easing violent clashes in the area.
Under the 2003 ceasefire, clashes have dropped. (BOT/With AP)
