ILOILO CITY, Philippines, Aug 3 - (IslamOnline.net) - Peace negotiators of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Philippine government would meet in the southern Philippine city of Cotabato on Monday, August 4, to declare a bilateral truce that would lay the ground for the resumption of formal peace talks in Malaysia.

The Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) of both sides has been shouldered with monitoring the observance and implementation of the guidelines of the cessation of hostilities agreement sealed by the MILF and the Philippine government, Ghazali Jaafar, the MILF vice chair for political affairs, was quoted as saying in a news release posted on the MILF website.

"The GRP [Government of the Republic of the Philippines] and MILF peace panels have agreed to convene the Joint GRP-MILF CCCH on August 4, 2002 at the Estosan Garden Hotel in Cotabato City," the news release said.

The meeting would pave the way for the resumption of the stalled GRP-MILF peace talks being mediated by the Government of Malaysia, a member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s adviser on the peace process, Eduardo Ermita, said Monday’s meeting would "strengthen" the cease-fire both camps have observed in the past month.

Ermita was also quoted as saying over radio station DXMY that "the meeting would also ensure that no armed confrontation would take place on the ground once formal negotiations are going on the peace table."

The meeting, Ermita said, would dwell on the previously agreed points that the MILF claimed were not implemented by the government to develop a conducive atmosphere for formal peace negotiations with the MILF.

It will also tackle the CCCH system of coordination, establishment of monitoring offices in key cities/places in Mindanao, sending Malaysian-led multinational monitoring groups to oversee the ceasefire accords, agreement on Safety and Security Guarantees/Lifting of unreasonable criminal charges and warrants and administrative requirements.

Meanwhile, Jaafar said the ceasefire will be greatly enhanced with the establishment of multinational monitoring group in conflict-ravaged areas, which would come from Bahrain, Brunei, Bangladesh, Libya and Malaysia.

"We don’t need to adopt new procedures, the implementing guidelines on the ceasefire accords are enough to address the cessation of hostilities."

Manila newspaper TODAY reported that the government CCCH panel would be temporarily headed by Armed Forces of the Philippines vice chief of staff Gen. Rodolfo Garcia, along with Army Col. Romeo Calizo, Ermita said. Calizo formerly led the government CCCH team.

In announcing the resumption of the peace talks with the MILF, President Arroyo said on Thursday, July 31, that the "country will be honored to have Prime Minister Mahathir [Mohamad] as a witness the signing of the accord," which she hopes to be inked "in a few months' time."

She also stressed, "It is Malaysia who is facilitating and hosting the talks, and any matter about how the ceremonies for the signing of the final peace agreement would have to be discussed in tripartite consultations in the spirit of friendship and goodwill."

Arroyo added the country would be "also honored to have [United States] President [George W.] Bush witness it---at least on live video."

She further thanked the United States "for its commitment to help the peace process," by especially "helping in the rehabilitation of conflict-affected areas."

While saying cautioned not to count the blessings before they are hatched, Arroyo said she is "willing to take the risks necessary for peace so that our nation can once again be united."

"The diversion of resources and the impact on the people of the nation, particularly in Mindanao, is devastating in human and economic terms. We can't go on this way. I believe peace is within our grasp, but it will not be achieved at any cost. Terrorism must be wiped out; arms must be laid down; swords must be made into plow shears."

In March and June this year, the MILF said it met with the government peace negotiators in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for exploratory talks in an effort "to normalize the situation" and "pave the way for the normal course of the peace negotiations."