Norway: All peace processes go through challenging phases

From GMA News (Feb 8): Norway: All peace processes go through challenging phases

Norway, the peace broker between the Philippine government and communist guerillas, on Wednesday said it is coordinating closely with both parties even after President Rodrigo Duterte terminated the talks this month.

Duterte last week lifted the government's six-month old truce and said that he is scrapping the peace talks as he accused the rebels of violating their own ceasefire, killing six soldiers and abducting two others in fresh fighting.

“We are in close dialogue with both parties. We know from experience that all peace processes are going through challenging phases,” Guri Solberg, Norwegian Foreign Ministry communication adviser, told GMA News Online via e-mail.

Solberg did not say if Norway received a formal notification from Manila stating that talks have been officially terminated.

Despite the scrapping of the negotiations aimed at ending more than four decades of communist insurgency, rebel leaders said they still want to participate in the talks.

Rebel adviser Luis Jalandoni said the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front would like to proceed with a previously scheduled dialogue on Feb. 22-25 in Oslo even without a ceasefire mechanism in place.

Duterte branded the rebel group as terrorists for killing six military men.

He also threatened to jail anew 17 rebel leaders who were freed last year to act as consultants for the CPP-NPA-NDF peace panel, but Jalandoni said a 1995 agreement with the government grants its members immunity from arrest.

Duterte also rejected the insurgents' demand to free 400 political prisoners and told the military to prepare for war against the rebels.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/598813/news/nation/norway-all-peace-processes-go-through-challenging-phases