Negotiators from the government and the National Democratic
Front (NDF) on Tuesday buckled down to work and held successive meetings, both
in panel and committee levels, as part of a shared commitment to forge a final
peace agreement within six to 12 months.
The peace negotiators got down to the brass tacks a day
after holding an opening ceremony that marked the formal resumption of peace
talks currently being held at the Scandic Holmenkollen Park Hotel in Oslo , Norway
Labor Secretary Silvestre “Bebot” H. Bello III, concurrent
chair of the government peace panel, explained that both parties agreed to hold
meetings in panel and committee levels to accelerate the process of discussion
on substantive issues related to the talks.
"Our negotiations in the past decades have been
difficult to the point of seemingly immovable discussions. We spent more time
in procedures rather than on the substantive agenda before us," Bello
"We have learned our lessons from past experiences.
Both parties have resumed the stalled peace negotiations and are now committed
to explore all avenues possible to fast-track the process," he added.
Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Jesus G. Dureza, for
his part, noted that the government panel has been instructed to accelerate the
peace negotiations in compliance with President Rodrigo Duterte's commitment to
bring a definitive and final peace settlement within six to 12 months.
"We can all see now that there is renewed and fresh
euphoria in the air. Our coming together starting today should be not in the
context of out-witting or out-maneuvering each other across the table,"
Dureza said.
"Neither is this a joust of one side unduly gaining
strategic advantage over the other. But this should be more of a coming
together of Filipinos interested to see changes in the land—in our land, to be
shared for and by all. If we can, let's no longer call our engagements as
negotiations but instead a shared national ‘conversation’ a ‘dialogue’ where we
find together common grounds, bridge the divides, and seek common dreams to
share," he added.
To jumpstart the peace process, both panels sat down this
morning (Oslo
Affirmation of previously-signed agreements;
Accelerated process for negotiations, including the timeline
for the completion of the remaining substantive agenda for the talks:
socio-economic reforms; political and economic reforms; and end of hostilities
and disposition of forces; and
Reconstitution of the Joint Agreement on Security and
Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) list.
Among the documents expected to be re-affirmed by both
panels include The Hague Joint Declaration of 1992, Breukelen Joint Statement
of 1994, the JASIG, and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights
and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).
Aside from Bello , the
government negotiators include former Agrarian Reform Secretary Hernani
Braganza, former Commission on Elections Commissioner Rene Sarmiento, and
Attorneys Angela Librado-Trinidad and Antonio
Arellano.
The NDF, on the other hand, is represented by its chairman
Luis Jalandoni, Fidel Agcaoili, Connie Ledesma, Asterio Palima, and Juliet de
Lima-Sison.
After the panel meeting, negotiators from both parties will
supervise simultaneous discussions of the Reciprocal Working Committee on the
Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (CASER) and the Reciprocal
Working Groups on Political and Constitutional Reforms (PCR) and End of
Hostilities-Disposition of Forces (EOH-DOF).
For the government panel, Braganza was assigned to supervise
the CASER committee; Sarmiento for PCR; and Arellano and Librado for EOH-DOF.
Royal Norwegian Government Special Envoy for the Peace
Process Elisabeth Slattum and her staff acted as third party facilitators in
moderating the panel and committee discussions.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=916405
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