Government, communists to resume talks

Rebels make the final touches as their comrades arrive for the founding anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippine last year. Photo from the Facebook account of CPP media officer Marco Valbuena

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine government and communist rebels said Tuesday that they had agreed to re-start stumbling peace talks after meeting a special envoy from Norway, hosts to the protracted negotiations.

Chief rebel negotiator Luis Jalandoni said there would be fresh talks in Oslo next month after a Philippine government representative told him and the Norwegian envoy that Manila would free some jailed rebels.

Government negotiator Alexander Padilla said that while there was no outright promise to free the imprisoned rebels, the government was now open to the rebel demand that they be released before talks resume in late October.

“There was no commitment as such but the air was positive for the resumption of talks and we were not closing the door (to more releases),” Padilla told Agence France-Presse.

Jalandoni separately told AFP: “Everything that was needed to direct the moves towards resuming the peace talks in Oslo in late October was taken up and agreed upon.”

The Norwegian embassy declined to discuss the outcome of special foreign ministry envoy Ture Lundh’s meeting with the two parties.

Negotiations to end the four-decade insurgency stalled last month after the National Democratic Front (NDF) demanded the government free 13 captured comrades who they labelled “consultants” in the long-running talks.

“The steps (agreed upon) will include the release of the NDF consultants prior to the holding of the talks,” Jalandoni said.

The rebel negotiator said communist guerrillas would soon release four jail guards and were considering freeing a town mayor, all kidnapped in the past two months, but stressed that this was not a prisoner exchange.

Padilla also said the fate of the five should not be linked to the possible release of the captured rebels.

“This might be an incentive to kidnap other people and we don’t want this to happen,” he said.

The communists have been waging a Maoist campaign demanding political, social and economic reforms since 1969. Informal peace talks began in 1986.

From a peak of over 25,000 fighters in the 1980s, the military and other defense experts believe the guerrillas now number less than 5,000.

Rebel attacks last year killed 187 government forces and dozens of civilians were caught in the crossfire, according to Brussels security think-tank the International Crisis Group.

Originally posted at 6:29 p.m.