Peace Negotiations Can Be Resumed—Joma

National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) chief political consultant Prof. Jose Maria Sison declared that the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations can be resumed if Macapagal-Arroyo is sincere in resolving divisions and promoting national unity government.

BY AUBREY SC MAKILAN 
Bulatlat.com

Sison said the talks would be productive if Macapagal-Arroyo agrees to build on the 10 agreements previously achieved through negotiations since 1992.

“It should coincide with her actions to stop the U.S. from usurping jurisdiction over the actions of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the Philippines, misrepresenting them as ‘terrorist’ actions and asking other governments to punish or threaten NDFP negotiators, consultants, staff and supporters,” he said.

Sison explained that in order to proceed smoothly with the negotiations, the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) and Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for the Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) should be effectively implemented by both parties through the formation of a joint monitoring committee.

“All negotiators, consultants, staff and other duly authorized persons in the peace negotiations must be protected by the JASIG from the ‘terrorist’ witch-hunting of the Bush administration,” Sison said.

He also added that the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER) could have been accomplished sometime ago if the GRP did not attempt to modify the framework of the negotiations.

Meanwhile, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) spokesman Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal said that the Macapagal-Arroyo government should stop “nonsense” actions against the CPP-NPA-NDF and resume formal peace negotiations.

"If Macapagal-Arroyo really wants to talk peace with the NDFP, it should first and foremost immediately put an end to the relentlessness and viciousness of her all-out war in the name of terrorism, respect and implement past agreements, stop downgrading the negotiations to back-channel talks and resume formal panel-to-panel negotiations," Rosal stated in a press release.

Rosal said that the urgent implementation of CARHRIHL “will help protect the people’s human rights from abuses especially with the ongoing all-out war of terror victimizing civilians,” adding that it is the “militarist government” that has been resisting the implementation of the agreement making the “all-out war” on terror a “war without rules.”

However, Rosal said that the CPP “is always open to talks with any government willing to go to the negotiating table and enter into agreements in order to seriously address the roots of the civil war and attain genuine peace in the country.”

According to Sison, although it is difficult to attain considering the absence of a common platform between “revolutionary and reactionary forces,” they welcome the president’s declaration to concentrate on social and economic problems and to promote national unity.

Sison stressed that it is only after social and economic reforms have been established that political and constitutional reforms could be negotiated. Bulatlat.com

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