No supervening factor that will affect the upcoming talks in Oslo – Dureza

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 30): No supervening factor that will affect the upcoming talks in Oslo – Dureza

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said there is no supervening factor that will affect the resumption of the formal peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on August 20 in Oslo, Norway.

”Let’s wait and see. But so far, as the moment, there is no supervening factor that will affect the upcoming talks in Oslo on August 20,” Dureza said in a text message to the Malacanang reporters.

Dureza made this reaction after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered on Saturday night the immediate lifting of the unilateral ceasefire with the communist rebels after the CPP-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) failed to reciprocate within the Saturday’s 5 p.m. ultimatum.

”Let me now announce that I am hereby ordering for the lifting of the unilateral ceasefire that I ordered last July 25 against the communist rebels,” Duterte said in a press statement.

Correspondingly, the President ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) “to also withdraw the operational guidelines they issued in pursuance to that ceasefire declaration.”

”I’m ordering all security forces to be on high alert and continue to discharge their normal functions and mandate to neutralize all threats to national security, protect the citizenry, enforce the laws and maintain peace in the land,” the President added.

In his first state of the nation address last Monday, President Duterte declared a unilateral ceasefire with the communist rebels.

However, the NPA rebels attacked a group of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU), killing one militiaman and wounding four others in Davao del Norte while the military troops were observing the unilateral ceasefire.

This prompted President Duterte to set last Friday a deadline until 5p.m. Saturday for the communist rebels to reciprocate his offered unilateral ceasefire.

Meanwhile, communist leader Jose Maria Sison said in an interview with cable ANC television they were planning to declare a ceasefire at 8 p.m. on Saturday.

The CPP founder called President Duterte ‘volatile’ for revoking the government ceasefire with the communist rebels.

Sison, however, said the resumption of peace talks in Norway would push through as scheduled on Aug. 20.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=908975