NDF: 'Arroyo gov't has scuttled peace negotiations'

'Romulo lying on standing invitation to talks'

INQUIRER.net
Last updated 10:26pm (Mla time) 03/31/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- Communist rebels accused Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo of lying when he claimed the government has a standing invitation to the National Democratic Front (NDF) for peace talks.

Luis Jalandoni, NDF peace panel chairman, accused the Arroyo administration of having "scuttled the talks" through its "militarist plan to destroy the revolutionary movement" and by "committing crimes against humanity, perpetrating extrajudicial killings of more than 830 unarmed civilians, enforced disappearances on about 200 persons and frustrated killings on more than 350 persons, among other gross human rights violations."

"If the Arroyo regime really wants to resume formal peace talks with the NDFP, as demanded by so many peace and human rights advocates, it must follow the urgent demands of the UN, Amnesty International, the US Senate, and so many other international bodies to immediately stop the extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations," Jalandoni said.

The NDF official also accused the government of violating several agreements, notably the Hague Joint Declaration of 1992, which sets the framework of the talks and "stipulates that national sovereignty is a guiding principle of the peace negotiations," by "colluding with the US, the European Union and other foreign governments in the baseless and unjust 'terrorist' listing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People's Army, and the NDF chief political consultant Professor Jose Maria Sison."

He said the government also violated the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees, which protects rebel negotiators, consultants and their staff by charging "those involved in the peace negotiations," allegedly killing NDF consultant Sotero Llamas and causing the "involuntary disappearance" of other consultants and staff.


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