From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 21): Bello to combatants: ‘Observe restraint’
Chief Peace Negotiator Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Tuesday asked combatants to “observe restraint” to avoid further bloodshed.
“We are really saddened by these unfortunate incidents. We have communicated with our counterparts and they vowed to look into it,” Bello said after learning that another firefight occurred in Misamis Occidental last March 18.
“We remain firm and confident that we can still proceed according to the agreement we just signed in Utrecht to swiftly reinstate our respective unilateral ceasefires while we work on the terms of an interim bilateral ceasefire agreement,” he pointed out.
It has come to his attention that the Western Mindanao Command is now conducting pursuit operations against New People's Army (NPA) rebels after the communist camp was overran in Tudela town.
The rebel lair was seized following encounters with 55th Infantry Battalion troops and members of the NPA's Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee. No soldier was killed nor hurt in the fighting.
Between April 2 to 6, 2017, a new round of peace talks between the Philippine Government and NDFP is scheduled for a new round in The Netherlands.
Erik Førner, the Norwegian Ambassador to the Philippines said in a statement that he is pleased that representatives of the Philippine Government and the NDFP will meet for a new round of talks. This will be the fourth round of talks since formal negotiations were resumed summer 2016.
“Despite challenges along the way, the parties continue to show their commitment to peace. Norway will continue to assist the parties as the third party facilitator of the peace process,” he said.
This round will focus on issues such as social and economic reforms and a bilateral ceasefire agreement.
The talks will be chaired by the Norwegian Special Envoy to the peace process, Ms. Elisabeth Slåttum, with great expectation that this time, it will materialize.
The armed conflict between the Philippine Government and the communist movement’s armed wing has lasted for almost 50 years.
Norway has been facilitator of the peace process since 2001.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=973502
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