Government, NDF set ‘solidarity meet’

The government and communist rebels moved closer to formal peace negotiations with a "solidarity meeting" between them scheduled on April 18 in Manila.

National Democratic Front (NDF) peace negotiators based in the Netherlands arrived in Manila yesterday for the meeting at the Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel which was also meant to renew friendship and finalize details of the projected formal peace talks.

"The purpose of the gathering is to show to the NDF and to the whole world that the Philippines is ready to take any step that will arrive at a peace settlement," Silvestre Bello III, chief government negotiator, told reporters.

President Arroyo, who took over on Jan. 20, has sought the resumption of peace talks with the communist rebels on one hand, and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front, on the other.

Bello said representatives from the Church-based organizations and other sectors would also attend the solidarity meeting which will set the stage for the formal talks scheduled April 27 possibly in a Scandinavian country.

The NDF panel consists of NDF chairman Luis Jalandoni and his wife Connie Ledesma, and Antonio Zumel and wife Ruth. They arrived in Manila late yesterday afternoon.

Bello said the formal talks would likely be held in Oslo, Norway as suggested by the NDF, with Sweden and Finland as alternatives sites.

Bello clarified, however, that the government panel has yet to consult with Cabinet Cluster E on security before making any final decision on the venue of the talks.

Press Secretary Noel Cabrera viewed Jalandoni’s visit as "a good sign" that the peace process was on the right track to permanently put an end to the longest-running Marxist armed and political struggle in Asia that has spanned over 30 years.

Meanwhile, Bello gave assurances that the NDF delegation would be accorded safe conduct passes and security while in Manila.

He said Philippine National Police intelligence chief Director Hercules Cataluña has been designated head of the security team for the NDF panel which is expected to fly back to the Netherlands immediately after the exploratory talks in Manila.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Eduardo Ermita said Cabinet Cluster E will discuss the possibility of expanding the coverage of the existing ceasefire unilaterally declared by both sides as part of a confidence-building process.

Ermita said top security officials would meet on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of extending the truce.

Bello noted that there was no need to declare a red alert in some areas of the country, particularly in Southern Tagalog and the Bicol region where the New People’s Army (NPA) continued to be active.

The NDF team’s arrival came two days after the NPA guerrillas set free Army Maj. Noel Buan in Mansalay town, Oriental Mindoro.

Buan had been held captive by the rebels for 21 months.

The military estimated that the NPA, the military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has about 11,000 armed combatants nationwide, consisting mostly of small hit-and-run squads, while the MILF has an estimated 15,000 guerrillas based in Mindanao.