Manila for resuming talks with communists

MANILA — The Philippine government said yesterday it hoped quickly to resume peace talks with communist rebels, two days after announcing a breakthrough in negotiations with Muslim insurgents.

The talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) would be held in Norway this month, though neither side has given ground on the main issue to have stalled the process, chief peace negotiator Alexander Padilla said.

"We would like to press ahead with our talks with the communists but we are calling on them to drop all preconditions," Padilla said.

He said both sides tentatively agreed earlier this year to hold talks this month. However the Norwegian government had not yet announced a date and there had been no con rmation from the communists that they would attend.

Talks with the CPP were suspended in November last year due to continued rebel demands to free jailed comrades they claimed were consultants to the negotiations.

The impasse was broken in June this year when both sides resumed low-level backroom negotiations. But Padilla said the CPP was maintaining that the comrades should be freed and the government continued to refuse.

"We have not gone beyond that obstacle yet," he said.

Nevertheless, Padilla said the government was hoping to use the momentum of a roadmap for peace agreed at the weekend with the 12,000strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

"This framework peace agreement with the MILF shows the sincerity of the government in reaching an accord with any group," Padilla said.

President Benigno Aquino, who won national elections in 2010, has vowed to end all insurgencies during his sixyear term, and Padilla said the government was still hoping to achieve that goal with the communists. — AFP