Gov't urges leftist rebel group to end violence

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The government called on a leftist group in the country to end violence and build peace in a statement issued today to mark the National Peace Consciousness Month.

"We renew our call to the Communist Party of the Philippines for an end to violence on the ground so we can together build the peace that we all aspire for," a government panel said in a message to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDF), a leftist rebel group which has staged a guerrilla campaign in the countryside for more than four decades.

"We share the urgency of ending the armed hostilities to give way to development, especially in conflict-affected areas, which are the poorest and most deprived communities in the country," it said.

The government urged the rebel group to put on the table ideas and strategies for building meaningful consensus that will put an end to armed hostilities.

"We continue to believe that if we listen to our people's aspirations and act accordingly, and lasting peace is still possible in spite of stumbling blocks in the peace process," the government said.

The peace talks between the government and the NDF bogged down last February after the two sides failed to agree on the terms of the peace process.

Consequently, the Philippine government said that it would not go back to the formal peace negotiation with the leftist rebels, and is looking for a new approach to end the more than four-decade leftist insurgency.