Leftist rebels stalled peace process, says official

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The government's chief peace negotiator Alexander Padilla said today that it's the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army- National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) who is responsible for stalling the peace negotiation between the government and leftist rebels.

"The fact is, it is the CPP-NPA-NDF that has brought the talks to its present impasse," Padilla said.

The peace negotiation has been stalled since February 2011. Padilla said the CPP-NPA-NDF continued demand for the release of captured combatants, whom they claimed as NDF consultants, before the talks could resume led to the impasse.

Padilla added that it was the CPP-NPA-NDF who terminated the Special Track (ST) of negotiations. This is because CPP founding Chairman Jose Maria Sison -- who authored the ST -- reneged on his original proposal for an indefinite ceasefire and imposed demands that would have placed the ST on the protracted and difficult track.

"With the regular track on an impasse before we could even commence discussing the substantive issues, and the special track effectively terminated, there is no track at the moment that will realistically lead to a final negotiated peace settlement of the 44-year internal armed conflict," he added.

Padilla reiterated that the government remains open to negotiating peace with the communist rebels, and that is why the government is trying to develop a new approach to peace talks that is "time bound, agenda bound, with no preconditions and based on earnest consultations with the people."