Possible revival of PHL-NDFP talks still under consultation – Deles

From GMA News (Jan 10): Possible revival of PHL-NDFP talks still under consultation – Deles

The planned revival of peace negotiations between the government and the communist-led National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) is still under consultation, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles said Friday.

In his meeting with Norwegian Foreign Minister Børge Brende in Manila, President Benigno Aquino III sought the help of Norway in the planned revival of the talks, to which the foreign country responded by committing to continue as facilitator between the two parties.

But Deles told GMA News Online that they will still have to discuss the situation with the Norwegians to “avoid restarting talks that will again quickly break down and go nowhere.”

“We will continue to consult with our Norwegian facilitators and local stakeholders to ensure a common understanding of the parameters of peace negotiations that will make a felt difference in the lives of our people especially in the most affected areas,” she said.

“We want to resume talks on the basis of a doable and time-bound agenda,” she added without elaborating on the matter.

Government and NDFP panels last met in Norway in February 2011 but failed to reach an agreement on issues, particularly on the collection of “revolutionary tax” and the release of some of detained New People's Army (NPA) commanders.

The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), which has been pursuing one of Asia's longest-running insurgencies, spanning more than four decades.

In April last year, the government ended its peace negotiations with the NDFP after a 22-month impasse, citing the lack of “sincerity and political will” on the part of the party and its affiliate groups.

NDF chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni said it was the Aquino administration, and not NDFP, which “dimmed” the prospects of peace due to the government's supposed refusal to hold its end up on agreements signed by both parties decades ago.

Last month, the CPP said in a statement on its 45th founding anniversary that it will no longer engage in formal talks with the Aquino administration, citing the “proven unwillingness of the Aquino regime to negotiate a just peace.”

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/343250/news/nation/possible-revival-of-phl-ndfp-talks-still-under-consultation-deles