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Monday, March 13, 2017
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OUR PEOPLE’S long quest for a just and lasting peace should always be a compelling reason to forge ahead with the peace negotiations. It should trump any and all attempts by saboteurs to derail the Filipinos’ aspirations.
Thus the decision of the government and National Democratic Front of the Philippines to resume the stalled peace negotiations in the first week of April is most welcome. It is hoped that this will further advance the concrete gains achieved in the last three rounds of talks, particularly in the socio-economic, political and constitutional reforms that aim to address the root causes of the five-decade old armed conflict in our country.
In a two-page joint statement issued at end of the two-day (March 20-11) informal talks in Utrecht, The Netherlands, the parties announced a consensus on six points, especially on the decision to meet again for formal negotiations.
“The Parties shall continue the formal peace talks and reiterate their reaffirming of all bilateral agreements and statements made in the peace negotiations, including the Hague Joint Declaration, the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL),” the joint statement said.
The parties also agreed that reinstating the indefinite unilateral ceasefire declarations effective before the scheduled fourth round of talks in April would help create a better atmosphere for the resumption of the stalled negotiations.
An interim bilateral ceasefire agreement would also be discussed and signed by the government and the NDFP in the next meetings. This would replace the unilateral ceasefire declarations and establish more stable mechanisms to monitor and prevent tensions that might trigger hostilities.
The road to peace is not easy to traverse. What is important is that we all stay the course. More than ever, this is the opportune time to further push for just and lasting peace. Thus all peace advocates should be watchful of the peace process. For the greater interest of our people.
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