Government and NDFP negotiators, consultants, observers and representatives of the Norwegian government during the recent informal talks in Oslo.
The resumption of formal peace talks between government and communist rebels will be pushed back slightly because of President Rodrigo Duterte’s first state of the nation address on July 25 as well as to allow more time for the release of an initial 109 political prisoners, independent media outfit Kodao Productions reported Thursday.
In an interview with Kodao, Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Ma. Sison said the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, which represents the rebels, “has already informed the (Government of the Philippines) side that the resumption of formal talks may be either from July 27 to August 2, or from August 15 to 22, depending on the success of the GPH at effecting the release of 22 (Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees)-protected political prisoners as well as that of most of the 87 political prisoners who are sickly, elderly, overly long in prison and women.”
The NDF, he added, is “willing to give the GPH ample time to effect the releases.”
Government peace panel member Hernani Braganza, sought for a reaction to Sison’s statement on the slight delay in the talks’ resumption, told Kodao: “Yes, dahil sa (because of the) SONA on the 25th.”
Following informal talks in Norway just before the inauguration of Duterte, the peace panels of his then incoming government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines said they had agreed to resume formal negotiations in mid-July.
Both sides had also agreed that the talks would adhere to previously signed agreements and also raised the possibility that more than 500 political prisoners would be released either before or soon after the resumption. They also agreed to work for an interim ceasefire during the talks.
But in a speech at the anniversary of the Philippine Air Force on Tuesday, Duterte said he would agree to releasing the prisoners “only after the success of the talks” when the rebels have laid down their arms. He said he was willing to give safe conduct passes to Sison, NDFP chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni and alleged CPP leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, who are in detention after their capture in Cebu in 2014.
Despite what he called the “apparently self-contradictory impromptu statements” of Duterte, Sison said the NDFP remains willing to enter negotiations “on the assumption that the previous agreements shall be affirmed” and the initial 109 political prisoners released “ahead of more than 400 political prisoners who shall be released by general amnesty in connection with an interim ceasefire.”
http://interaksyon.com/article/130070/resumption-of-talks-with-reds-pushed-back-over-prisoner-release-sona---report
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.