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Indonesian foreign minister meets with Philippine peace adviser
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In consultation: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi talk at the 30th ASEAN Summit in Manila, the Philippines, on April 29. (Courtesy of the Presidential Office/File)
F
oreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi kicked off on Thursday a series of bilateral meetings with Philippine officials, beginning with Jesus Dureza, special adviser to President Rodrigo Duterte on the peace process in Mindanao.
Dureza briefed the minister on a number of issues of concern for Indonesia, including the conflict in Marawi City and updates on the Bangsamoro Basic Law drafting process.
Retno said Indonesia had been keeping tabs on the ongoing peace process in Mindanao, as any cessation would affect countries in the immediate vicinity, which includes Indonesia and Malaysia.
"Our hope is when the Bangsamoro Basic Law is in effect, the region will usher in a time of peace," she told reporters in Manila, on Thursday.
The proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law seeks to promote peace in the region and was agreed on by the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in 2014.
From the information gleaned from Dureza, the minister said Manila would be ready to table the bill next month.
Besides the Bangsamoro issue, the minister was briefed on the unfolding situation in Marawi, where security forces are locked in a battle with Islamic State-linked militant groups.
Retno is in Manila for a trilateral meeting on counterterrorism with her Malaysian and Philippine counterparts, which will also feature military, police, intelligence and counterterrorism chiefs from Indonesia and its neighbors.
Indonesia is calling the trilateral meeting an immediate response to the fallout in Marawi, which has raised concerns that IS’ influence would spread in the region.(dmr)
