MANILA, Philippines – Philippine government officials and communist rebels held three days of secret peace talks in Oslo, Norway this week in a bid to revive efforts to end a nearly four-decade conflict, a Norwegian official said Thursday.
Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Raymond Johansen said the meetings that ended Thursday focused on ways of resolving one of Asia’s longest-running Marxist insurrections. He said the talks were kept informal and confidential at the request of the parties.
The talks ended without the delegations immediately offering comment.
The last talks in Norway aimed at ending the conflict stalled in 2005.
The Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, or NDFP rebels, agreed to meet again later in the year, with Norwegian help, said Johansen.
“The protracted conflict between the GRP (Philippines government) and the NDFP has caused a great deal of suffering in the country. This conflict does not get much attention internationally. However, Norway is seeking to ensure that efforts to resolve forgotten conflicts such as this receive the necessary international support,” said Johansen.
Norway hosted a series of meetings between the sides that stalled in August 2005 over government demanding that the rebels agree to a ceasefire as the first step in a peace effort, and the rebels demanding that their group first be removed from international lists of terrorist groups.
The National Democratic Front has been fighting for a Marxist state since 1969, and has an armed wing of about 9,000 fighters. Sporadic peace talks have been held over the past 15 years, including several rounds in Norway.
“It is positive that the parties have conducted confidential talks,” said Johansen. “Norway attaches importance to creating meeting places for talks between parties to a conflict. And I hope that these talks have created a platform for the parties, with Norwegian assistance, to further advance the peace process.”
Norway, the home of the Nobel Peace Prize, has led peace efforts in some of the world’s worst conflicts, including in the Middle East, Sri Lanka, and Guatemala. The Nordic country describes its role in the Philippines peace effort as third-party host that facilitates discussions, rather than acting as a mediator. – With AP