Immediate and long-term prospects of the peace talks
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) anticipates the resumption of the previously suspended formal peace negotiations between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the reactionary government in the coming month.
The talks have long remained suspended because of the many obstacles that the Arroyo regime had placed in its path, among them the regime�s refusal to recognize and implement previously signed agreements; its all-out international campaign to pin the �terrorist� tag on the CPP, NPA and NDFP peace panel Senior Political Consultant Jose Maria Sison; its insistence on a �Final Peace Agreement� which it one-sidedly drafted and is, in truth, nothing but an �agreement of surrender�; and its militarist policies and all-out war, which are contrary to its pronouncements of peace.
Despite all this, the Party and revolutionary movement continue to aspire for peace and have never closed the door to continuing the peace negotiations with the present regime or with any successor regime that wants to conduct talks with it.
But the Arroyo regime must now move quickly to reopen the peace talks before it runs out of time. The Arroyo clique realizes that the majority of the people want the peace talks to continue. Arroyo expects that the talks� resumption will help her redeem herself from her grave isolation from the people and from her dashed hopes of winning in the coming election.
The release of a joint statement signed recently by the chairpersons of the NDFP and GRP peace panels is quite significant, as it mentions that the talks are to continue within the framework of The Hague Joint Declaration of 1992 and subsequent agreements between the NDFP and the GRP. The panels likewise agreed on the following:
- Reaffirming The Hague Joint Declaration of 1992 and other agreements as the foundation and the framework of the negotiations;
- Addressing the issue of the inclusion of member-organizations of the NDFP and its chief consultant in the list of �terrorists� and providing protection to them in accordance with The Hague Joint Declaration and the Amado V. Hernandez doctrine on political cases;
- Forming the Joint Monitoring Committee in accordance with CARHRIHL;
- Resuming talks on socio-economic reforms;
- Discussing the GRP�s suggestion on the sequence and acceleration of negotiations;
- Carrying out confidence-building measures such as freeing political prisoners and speeding up the process of indemnifying victims of martial law.
The resumption of the long-suspended peace negotiations is in itself significant since it serves as a basis for continuing the talks with the regime, whoever wins in the coming presidential election.
The tactical victories which we hope to gain in the present run of the peace negotiations is but one aspect. We must make it clear that the attainment of a genuine, long-lasting and liberating peace is based on, and at no time can be divorced from, our assiduous advance of the people�s democratic revolution and our perseverance in protracted people�s war, with or without peace talks.
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