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Peace talks with CPP-NPA-NDFP a restart, not a resumption — Galvez

Published Nov 28, 2023 10:17 am

The agreement between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF) over a "peaceful resolution" of armed conflict signals the “restart” of peace talks.

Oslo Joint Communique.jpg
(Photo courtesy of the Royal Norwegian Government)



Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the new development will pave the way for the peace talks to start anew.

"Hindi resumption. Basically kasi iba yung resumption, e. When you say sa resumption kasi naputol. Ito, we will start anew. From the start talaga (Not resumption. Because, basically, resumption is different. When you say resumption, it was suspended. This one, we will start anew. From the very start)," Galvez said in an ambush interview after a Palace briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 28.

Upon the instruction of President Marcos, Galvez announced that the government of the Republic of the Philippines and the NDF have affirmed and signed the Oslo Joint Communiqué on Nov. 23, where they agreed to a "principled and peaceful resolution of the armed conflict resolving the roots of the armed conflict and ending the arm struggle" which shall pave the way for the transformation of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).

Galvez also said that the President was "very positive" on the development.

He added that the timeline of the restart of the peace talks was currently "under discussion", but will most likely start "before the first or, mid-first quarter" next year.

The Presidential adviser explained that the national team was undertaking "exploratory talks," which, he said, was showing a positive outlook.

"With the confidence na nakita namin (we saw) when we first talk with them and even nagkaroon kami ng (we had) some cordial discussion, I can see that there is a positive outlook that it will end up with a final peace agreement because our talks in Oslo was founded in good faith and also on good will, and also on sincerity," Galvez said during the Palace briefing.

"When the parties said that if we will maintain that good will, I think we can finally end up with the final peace agreement," he added.

Galvez said after the joint agreement, they will come up with a framework that will set the parameters. The final peace agreement will then follow.

The joint statement was a product of a series of informal discussions held in The Netherlands and Norway starting in 2022 between the emissaries of the GRP-NDFP with the presentation of the Royal Norwegian Government (RNG).

In August 2016, formal peace negotiations between the government and the CPP-NPA-NDF resume after a five-year hiatus in Oslo, Norway.

Before these talks, then President Duterte ordered an indefinite unilateral ceasefire on government troops, granted temporary liberty to incarcerated CPP-NPA-NDF leaders, and also allowed safe passage for rebel commanders to join the peace talks.

Supported by the Royal Norwegian Government (RNG), the first two rounds of the talks were held in Oslo, the third in Rome, and the fourth and fifth rounds in The Netherlands.

However, in February 2017, the talks bogged down after clashes between the NPA and government troops resulted in the death of several soldiers. The clashes came even before Duterte ordered the ceasefire lifted.

This provided a shaky foundation for the fourth and fifth rounds of the talks in Amsterdam, with Duterte finally ordering government officials to pull out of the negotiations on May 27, 2017. 

 

 

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