RP, NDF panels forge breakthrough in talks

OSLO, Norway — The peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) finally managed to break the impasse caused by a dispute over terrorist listing to come up with a breakthrough agreement early Saturday here.

The agreement, in what could be also known as the Oslo Valentine’s Day accord, detailed the two parties’ willingness to advance the peace process and address the root causes of the armed conflict.

The two parties hurdled the disagreements over the issue of terror listing before a final comprehensive peace accord was reached.

The agreement was signed by government chief negotiator Silvestre Bello III and Luis Jalandoni, NDF panel chairman, with Tore Hattrem of the Royal Norwegian government as third party facilitator at 9 a.m. Oslo time.

The two parties have agreed to resolve the issue on the terror tag on the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), in consonance with the Hague Joint Declaration, the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) and other bilateral agreements.

The parties also agreed to form the joint monitoring committee which will oversee the implementation of the CARHRIHL based on the guidelines earlier approved by both panels.

The parties also agreed to reconvene the Reciprocal Working Committees on Social and Economic Reforms (RWC on SER) and continue the work of their respective sub-committees towards completing the draft on all aspects of the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER) based on target dates of completion.

It was also agreed that confidence-building measures should be undertaken to improve the environment for the peace talks with the indemnification of human rights victims and the release of political prisoners and detainees.

Jalandoni told The STAR that the joint statement "may be considered the 11th agreement signed between the two negotiating panels since the signing of The Haque GRP-NDF Joint Declaration in 1992.

"It is an important step forward," Jalandoni said.

"We know that the common joint position concerning a major point, that of the terrorist listing of Joma (CPP founder Jose Maria Sison), CPP-NPA which both sides now acknowledge goes against Philippine jurisidiction on national sovereignity, now both sides are against this terrorist listing," he said.

Jalandoni revealed common position taken by both parties on the inclusion of Sison in the terror list but pointed out the importance of the CPP leader in his role over the peace negotiations.

He also expressed optimism that the Oslo peace talks will now pave the way "for the release of the political prisoners whose order of release was signed by the President in 2001."

He expressed particular concern for the release of 23 people detained in various prisons led by Donato Continente, who he said "was unjustly accused for the murder of US Colonel Nicolas Rowe and who has been in prison for 15 years."

"The desire of both panels to advance the negotiations was the key," Jalandoni later declared.

On the terror tag issue, Bello said the government panel made it clear that the NDF has to show legal and moral basis to be removed from the list.

"I’m happy with the results of these talks. It’s just like snatching victory from the jaws of defeat," Bello said.

"It only shows that both parties are committed to advancing the peace process."

The talks resumed in Oslo on Tuesday, after a more than two-year break, but were deadlocked over a rebel demand that the government help get the group removed from terror lists by the United States, the European Union, Australia and Canada.

Both sides earlier traded accusations of trying to scuttle the talks with the government panel asking for a deferment of the contentious terrorist-listing issue and move on to other items of the agenda to speed up the process. The NDF insisted on tackling it first.

But the desire of both sides to move on with the talks proved to be the turning point, Presidential adviser on the peace process Teresita Deles said.

Deles added backroom efforts by both parties, with the help of the Norwegian government facilitators, led to the breaking of the impasse as the two sides agreed to break up into sub-committees tackling both the terrorist-listing issue and the enhanced process of negotiations.

"We did not go to sleep at all," Deles said, seemingly tired but happy for the first time in the course of the negotiations.

"I’m feeling very good — we were able to overcome the impasse. It was very challenging but with the determination on both sides, we were able to overcome the problem so in the end, we were able to come up with a joint statement with a language mutually agreeable to both sides and that makes me feel good," declared Deles.

"We couldn’t have done it without prayers." she said.

Deles said she she had been in constant touch with Malacañang to "finetune" the language in the GRP-NDF joint statement to support effective measures that will be undertaken, including the issue of terrorist listing in the preparation of a comprehensive peace agreement.

She said that they "plan to hold the next peace talks late March, the venue of which will still have to be worked out in consultation with the NDF."

Earlier, President Arroyo called from Manila congratulating both panels in their efforts to break the deadlock.

Mrs. Arroyo had appealed to CPP-NPA-NDF leaders to push forward in forging a final peace agreement with the government "to put an end" to the three decades old insurgency problem in the country."

"Peace is important to the fight for change and we are for peace because it will bring more jobs and better wages for the average Filipino," Mrs. Arroyo said.

The President suspended negotiations with the communists in 2001 after the NPA assassinated two congressmen — Marcial Punzalan of Quezon and Rodolfo Aguinaldo of Cagayan — who they branded as human rights violators.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said Malacañang is open to any moves in delisting the CPP-NPA-NDF from the international terror list.

But Bunye reiterated the initiative should come from the US and EU government since it is a sovereign act outside the Philippine government.

The US and EU have reportedly indicated their willingness to drop the CPP-NPA from their terror watch list should the rebels cease attacking civilian targets and put a stop in imposing revolutionary taxes in the countryside.

Bunye stressed the issue of removing the terror tag should not hold hostage the peace efforts by both parties.

"If those were the conditions set forth by the US and EU, as I said, we’re out of that, but if this will help push forward the peace talks, we are in favor of anything that will promote the peace talks," Bunye said. - With Marichu Villanueva, Benjie Villa, James Mananghaya, AFP