Duterte to closely monitor Oslo peace talks via Skype

From GMA News (Aug 20): Duterte to closely monitor Oslo peace talks via Skype

President Rodrigo Duterte will personally monitor the resumption of formal peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in Oslo, Norway via Skype.

In a press conference at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said Duterte had already expressed intention to go online in Skype while the peace talks, to be held in Oslo, Norway from August 22 to 26, are ongoing.

“Yes he will be personally monitoring [the peace talks], gusto niyang mag-Skype, to personally observe what is happening,” Dureza said.

Dureza and the other members of the government's peace panel left for Oslo after the press conference. Dureza said Duterte also directed the concerned agencies to speed up the release and the processing of travel documents of the 22 detained NDFP consultants set to participate in the peace talks.

Dureza said that as of Saturday afternoon, 20 of the NDFP consultants have already been temporarily freed from detention for the peace talks. Among those temporarily freed were the Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, chairman and secretary general, respectively, of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

“Yung isa kasi [na NDFP consultant] hindi pa na-grant ng court yung motion for bail, yung isa naman hindi pa nakakapag-file ng motion,” Dureza said. Dureza, however, said there is a continuing effort to send all the 22 NDFP consultants to Oslo, Norway.

“As we speak, there is continuing effort to make available in the Oslo peace talks resumption as many of them [NDFP consultants] as possible,” Dureza said.

Dureza said that it was the first time that many communist prisoners were set free by the government for the peace negotiation to push through.

“This is a historical and unprecedented release. This has never been done before. Datin laging collapsed yung talks when it touched on the release of prisoners. Pero iba ngayon,” Dureza said.

No expectations

Dureza, meanwhile, refused to cite any expectation on the resumption of the peace talks but promised to give their “best shot.”

“We don’t want to express any managed expectation. We have our internal expectations of course, but we don’t want to disclose these. Basta, we are going to give it our best shot,” Dureza said.

Dureza also refused to cite any “non-negotiables” for the government peace panel but said they will act within Constitutional and legal boundaries.

Dureza said the five-day peace talks will tackle social, economic and political issues as well as the mode for an interim ceasefire agreement.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/578366/news/nation/duterte-to-closely-monitor-oslo-peace-talks-via-skype