Duterte’s peace adviser won’t comment on CPP-NDF’s demand for pullout of US forces

From GMA News (Jun 3): Duterte’s peace adviser won’t comment on CPP-NDF’s demand for pullout of US forces

President-elect Rodrigo Duterte's incoming adviser on the peace process on Friday declined to give the next administration's position on the call of communist rebels to end the presence of United States troops in the country.

"No comment. We cannot negotiate or express positions unless we meet," said incoming Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza in a text message to GMA News Online.

Calling it a "non-negotiable" demand, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) on Thursday said it would ask the next administration at the resumption of formal talks to scrap the two agreements that give US forces access to Philippine military bases and allow US troops to engage in .

These are the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, both of which were upheld as constitutional by the Supreme Court.

The US is the Philippines' main strategically, especially on the issue of its maritime dispute with China in the resource-rich South China Sea.

"From the very beginning, we have always stood on the basis of principled self-respect and national sovereignty. We cannot allow the presence of US military bases here," said Fidel Agcaoili, one of the negotiators of the NDFP with the government, in a news conference on Thursday.

Preliminary talks between Duterte's representatives and the NDFP are slated on June 14 to 15 in Oslo, Norway which will focus on how to go about with the formal negotiations.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/568698/news/nation/duterte-s-peace-adviser-won-t-comment-on-cpp-ndf-s-demand-for-pullout-of-us-forces