Fifteen Indonesian peace monitors arrived in the Philippines Sunday to join the international team monitoring the ceasefire and peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The Indonesian team, consisting of 10 military officials and five civilian experts on conflict prevention will be joining a team of about 40 other peace monitors from Brunei, Japan, Libya and the European Union, and led by Malaysia, according to a report of DPA. "Their arrival is an assurance that the ceasefire is seriously in place," the government's chief peace adviser Teresita Deles told reporters. "Their coming is a big boost to the clout and effectiveness of the IMT (International Monitoring Team) in Mindanao," Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief peace negotiator, said on the group's website. Deles said the government and MILF aimed to sign a peace deal by the end of the year. "We are officially cautiously optimistic," Deles said. The terms of the peace deal are still being finalized but should include the creation of an autonomous region in the south.
