|
|
How to Resume Formal Talks and Have Ceasefire
in the GRP-NDFP Peace Negotiations
By Prof. Jose Maria Sison
Chief Political Consultant
National Democratic Front of the Philippines
17 July 2007
The Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) must address
and resolve beforehand certain prejudicial questions raised by the National
Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in order to resume the formal
talks in the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations. In this regard, the GRP must
do the following:
1. It must stop the extrajudicial killings, abductions, tortures, mass displacement
of more than one million people and other human rights violations perpetrated
by the reactionary armed forces.
2. It must declare that it is against the "terrorist" blacklisting of the Communist
Party of the Philippines (CPP), New People's Army (NPA) and the NDFP chief
political consultant.
3. It must indemnify the victims of human rights violations during the Marcos
fascist regime.
If the GRP wants to have a ceasefire during the peace negotiations, it must
come to terms with the NDFP on the basis of the 10-point Concise Agreement
for an Immediate Just Peace proposed by the NDFP and must agree with the
NDFP on how to accelerate the forging of comprehensive agreements on
social, economic and political reforms in order to address the root causes of
the armed conflict.
Through the Norwegian government, the NDFP Negotiating Panel has long
informed the GRP that it is ready to engage in exploratory talks for the purpose
of resolving the abovementioned prejudicial questions and agreeing on a
ceasefire that does not mean the surrender and pacification of the revolutionary
forces and people but on one that is based on clear binding principles and the
adoption of a procedure for accelerating agreements on social, economic and
political reforms.
Until now, the GRP has not made any serious response to the just and
reasonable demands of the NDFP. What the NDFP hears from the GRP
consists of psywar mouthed by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita,
National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales and General Hermogenes
Esperon. Through them, we get the message that the GRP merely
wants to destroy the revolutionary movement of the people either
through military force or through the surrender and pacification of the
revolutionary forces and people.
The arrogant and insulting statements of the officials of the Arroyo regime,
which are added to the rampant human rights violations, only serve to remind
the broad masses of the people that the regime knows no bounds for
oppressing and exploiting them and that they must intensify all forms of
struggle for the realization of national liberation and democracy. ###
|
|