DAVAO CITY (July 5) —President Rodrigo Duterte is still open for the resumption of the peace talks with the National Democratic Front, Communist Party of the Philippines and New Peoples Army, but sets four conditions.
In a press statement, Presidential Adviser Jessu Dureza said “The doors for the resumption of peace talks with the NDFP are still open.”
But according to Dureza, Duterte set the following conditions:
- . There will be no coalition government.
- 2. There will be a stop in the collection of the so-called revolutionary tax.
- 3. The venue of the talks will be local.
- 4. There will be a ceasefire agreement in which armed NPA members are encamped in designated areas.
“In the meantime, localized peace arrangements may be pursued by the local government units with the insurgents in their respective localities, Dureza added.
He said that the “way forward” in the stalled peace talks was decided following the consolidation of various positions expressed during the command conference convened by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte last night in Malacañang.
The President also expressed his wish that Norway continue as facilitator, in the event peace talks are resumed.
The peace talks with the CPP/NDF/NPA is put on hold as both the government and the rebel groups failed to come up with a workable “mechanism” and has not resolved some trust issue before they resume.
Earlier, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) expressed support for localized peace talks where local government units’ (LGUs) leaders or officials would be the ones negotiating with rebel bands or groupings in their area.
Colonel Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesperson, on Tuesday’s briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, said that with the localized peace talk setup, the LGUs are given leeway to conduct the negotiations while the military are tasked to provide security to the participants.-Editha Z. Caduaya/NewsLine.ph
