‘Difficult but successful’ GRP-NDF 3rd round ends with ‘breakthroughs’ in socio-economic reforms

From InterAksyon (Jan 26): ‘Difficult but successful’ GRP-NDF 3rd round ends with ‘breakthroughs’ in socio-economic reforms



NDFP chief negotiator Fidel Agcaoili (left) shakes hands with his government counterpart, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, at the end of the third round of formal peace talks in Rome as government panel members Hernani Braganza, among others, looks on. (photo by Raymund Villanueva, Kodao Productions)

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines and government ended a “difficult but successful” third round of formal peace negotiations with breakthroughs in discussions on socio-economic reforms, the second agenda of the talks to end the almost half-century long communist armed struggle.

After a week of meetings in Rome, the parties said they had achieved advances on six major issues contained in their common agenda:

• Breakthrough in the discussion of socio-economic reforms and achieving understanding on its first four items, including agrarian reform and rural development
• Signing of the ground rules on the work of the Reciprocal Working Committees on Socio-Economic Reforms
• Exchange of drafts and initial discussions on political and constitutional reforms
• Signing of supplemental guidelines on the Joint Monitoring Committee for the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law
• Submission by the GRP of its proposal for a bilateral ceasefire and the parties’ agreement to discuss it in February in The Netherlands
• Agreement to a fourth round of formal peace talks in Oslo, Norway in the first week of April

The parties likewise talked about the release of 392 NDFP-listed political prisoners with the government again committing to facilitate the release of the three remaining NDFP consultants -- Eduardo Sarmiento, Emeterio Antalan and Leopoldo Caloza -- through presidential clemency or other legal means.

The three have been convicted of criminal charges.

The rebel and government negotiators also discussed the possible implementation of socio-economic projects related to the Joint Agreement in Support of Socioeconomic Projects of Private Development Organizations and Institutes of March 16, 1998.

“The parties have been constructive and solution-oriented. And it is very clear to us as third party facilitators that both sides are genuinely committed to work towards achieving peace,” Royal Norwegian Government Special Envoy to the Philippine Peace Process Elisabeth Slattum said.

“Well, it has been difficult but successful. That is the only way I can describe this round,” NDFP chief negotiator Fidel Agcaoili said.

Agcaoili clarified though that he expected the successful conclusion of the negotiations on the supplemental guidelines on the JMC, the tentative agreement on the PCR, the movement on the discussion on SER, as well as on its ground rules.

‘Free distribution of land’ 

As expected, negotiations on socio-economic reforms took center stage in Rome.

“The RWCs-SER agreed in principle to the free distribution of land to farmers and farm workers as part of the governing frame of CASER (Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms),” the joint statement the parties issued said.

“While our discussions in the past days have been exacting, we were not deterred from exploring new ways and other platforms to advance the talks,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, the government’s chief negotiator, said.

The ground rules of the CASER, he added, “display our seriousness to tackle the agreement on socio-economic reforms.”

He later asked the participants and witnesses to the closing ceremony to offer a minute of prayer for the quick recovery of Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman and NDFP chief political consultant Jose Ma. Sison, who was hospitalized Tuesday night for flu.

Bello and government panel member Angela Trinidad had to leave the ceremony early to fly to Kuwait to try to save -- vainly as it turned out -- the life of Filipino worker Jakatia Pawa, who was executed there Wednesday.

http://interaksyon.com/article/136554/difficult-but-successful-grp-ndf-3rd-round-ends-with-breakthroughs-in-socio-economic-reforms