PHL peace negotiator says sincerity is why ceasefire between govt and communist party is working

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 21): PHL peace negotiator says sincerity is why ceasefire between govt and communist party is working

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has credited the sincerity of the Philippine government and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)as the reason why the ceasefire between the two parties appears to be holding.

“It is indicative of the sincerity of both parties in the (peace) process which augurs well for peace,” Bello, the government's chief negotiator, said of the lull in fighting.

With no encounter to breach the ceasefire, the peace negotiator is optimistic that a bilateral agreement would be reached and put in place when the second round of peace negotiations resumes on Oct. 4-10 in Oslo, Norway.

The talks were originally slated for Oct. 8-12, but both parties agreed to move the date.

It can be recalled that President Rodrigo Duterte restored a unilateral and indefinite ceasefire on the eve of the formal resumption of the peace talks with the CPP, the New People's Army and the National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) on Aug. 21 to create a favorable condition for the negotiations.

This resulted in the NDF extending indefinitely its seven-day (Aug. 21-27) goodwill ceasefire. The move was lauded as “historic and unprecedented", having been inspired by the release of 22 detained NDF consultants, the most number of prisoners released by the government to date.

In the 30-year history of government peace negotiations with the CPP-NPA-NDF, the talks have been disrupted for at least 15 times.

The breakdown in the talks was mainly due to two issues: the release of detained NDF consultants and declaration of ceasefire.

With both issues addressed, the formal resumption of peace talks on Aug. 22-28 in Oslo was made possible.

Ceasefire was one of agenda items taken up by both panels during the Oslo talks.

Both parties agreed to submit drafts for the formal bilateral ceasefire agreement when negotiations resume first week of October.

“Hopefully, this will ripen to a bilateral and permanent ceasefire and finally the end of hostilities,” Bello said.

In close to 50 years of guerrilla war launched by the NDF, through its armed wing the NPA, more than 150,000 people have been killed in armed clashes and violent incidents.

The Philippine military said the NPA has been reduced to less than 4,000 armed regulars scattered all over the Philippine archipelago.

But in Oslo, NDF panel chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni claimed they have 10,000 armed regulars operating in more than 120 guerrilla fronts that cover more than 72 provinces.

The formal talks between the government and the CPP-NPA-NDF are entering the more substantive phase of the peace negotiations, with both parties submitting outlines and drafts on social and economic reforms and political and constitutional reforms in the next round.

Both parties will also take up a proposed amnesty proclamation for all listed detained NDF members.

The cessation of hostilities and disposition of forces will also be tackled simultaneously during the talks.

The parties earlier agreed to accelerate the peace process with the government peace panel expressing confidence that a final peace agreement will be signed within a year.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=924856