By Ria Fernandez
The stalled negotiations between the Philippine Government (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) will resume on June 28 to 30 in Oslo, Norway with at least three major agreements to be signed by both parties.
Photo shows the last time the GRP and NDFP peace panels met in Oslo, Norway in October 2016, the second round of formal talks. (MANILA BULLETIN)
Suspended by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in May last year after he was enraged by heightened offensives by the NDFP’s military arm New People’s Army (NPA), the resumption of the formal talks is expected to be highlighted by the signing of an interim peace agreement that could set the stage for the final resolution of the 50-year Communist insurgency.
According to a source in the negotiations, a preparatory committee has also been formed to pave the way for the return of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison to the country after more than three decades of exile.
Other major agreements that could be signed in Oslo would be agreements on a coordinated ceasefire and agrarian reform.
The draft for an amnesty proclamation for all rebels, that would be signed by Duterte in the course of the completion of the peace process, could also be finalized in the resumption of the talks.