- Title: NORWAY: GOVERNMENT AND REBELS FROM THE PHILIPPINES MEET FOR PEACE TALKS IN OSLO.
- Date: 10th February 2004
- Summary: (W4) OSLO, NORWAY (FEBRUARY 10, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. MV/CU/GV/PAN: EPRESENTATIVES OF THE PHILIPPINES' GOVERNMENT AND NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT WALKING INTO THE NEGOTIATION ROOM IN THE HOTEL IN OSLO, SHAKING HANDS, POSING FOR CAMERAS, SITTING DOWN (4 SHOTS) 0.17 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SILVESTRE BELLO, NEGOTIATING PANEL CHAIRMAN FROM THE GOVERNMENT'S
- Embargoed: 25th February 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: OSLO, NORWAY
- Country: Norway
- Reuters ID: LVA13FG2LBM9QPAAQV4TRYVK668E
- Story Text: The Philippines government and communist rebels sat
down at the negotiating table in Norway in what is seen as
an attempt by the President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to put
an end to the 35-year armed conflict before the
presidential election in May 2004.
The previous talks collapsed two and a half ago when
government negotiators had walked out of the last round in
June 2001 to protest the assassination of a Filipino
congressman by the rebels of the National Democratic Front.
Now the representatives of both the President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo's government and communist guerrillas of
the National Democratic Front (NDF) are back at the
negotiating table in the downtown Oslo hotel to discuss a
variety of pressing issues ranging from the ceasefire
arrangements and prisoners release to the economic and
political reforms in the country.
"Now we have a President who is committed to pursue
these talks under the administration that has the political
will to address all the issues and hopefully reach a final
negotiated settlement," the Philipino government negotiator
Silvestre Bello said in a statement.
The communist guerrillas began fighting for a Marxist
state in 1969. The conflict has killed or displaced
thousands of people.
The guerrillas demand release of the prisoners,
compensations for victims of the President Marcos regime,
the removal of their group from U.S. and other terror
lists, and compensation for Filipinos who suffered human
rights abuses under the former regime of late dictator
Ferdinand Marcos. The rebels are estimated to have 9,000
strong military force.
The new round of talks in Oslo is expected to take four
days. The NDF representatives have already said that they
see these talks as an attempt by the Philippines President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to get re-elected during the
presidential election in May 2004.
But the rebels said that the talks take priority. "The
complexity of the issue demands hard work and tough
negotiations. But the NDF is willing to continue peace
negotiations with the GRP whatever administration might be
in power after the May elections," said rebel
representative Luis Jalandani.
Norway, which has brokered in many of the world's worst
conflicts, stressed that it is facilitating the talks with
technical support rather than acting as mediator.
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