EXPLORATORY OR PREPARATORY TALKS TO PAVE THE WAY FOR THE RESUMPTION OF THE GRP-NDFP PEACE NEGOTIATIONS

Prof. Jose Ma. Sison
National Democratic Front of the Philippines
Chief Political Consultant
February 01, 2003

To pave the way for the resumption of formal negotiations, teams of the GRP and NDFP peace negotiations will have to go into some amount of exploratory or preparatory talks.

They will have to use the existing agreements of the GRP and NDFP in order to solve problems that can impede the resumption of the formal negotiations.

The NDFP is interested in the following:

1. The peace negotiations must proceed in accordance with The Hague Joint Declaration and other agreements even as the GRP makes proposals, which run counter to the existing terms of said agreements.

2. Although it is entitled to drafting the so-called final peace agreement as its own negotiating position, the GRP should not try to impose it on the NDFP with an ultimatum, which some military officials have publicly indicated.

3. The joint and separate implementation of the GRP-NDFP Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) must be accelerated to stop the military, police, paramilitary and vigilante forces of the GRP from further committing gross human rights violations.

4. The GRP must undo its servile act of asking the US and European governments to designate the CPP, NPA and the NDFP chief political consultant as "terrorists" and to undertake punitive measures and of yielding to such foreign governments jurisdiction over actions deemed as "rebellion" in the GRP penal code and not as "terrorism".

5. The GRP must stop the practice of charging revolutionaries with common crimes, instead of simple rebellion, and in this connection must respect the Amado V. Hernandez doctrine and the pertinent provision of CARHRIHL.

6. The GRP must comply with the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) and must cease and desist from using the terrorist tag and fabrication of common crimes to persecute the NDFP chief political consultant and pressure the NDFP negotiators, consultants, staffers and supporters.

7. The GRP must be mindful of the fact that international humanitarian law (Geneva Conventions and protocols) governs the armed conflict between the armies of the GRP and NDFP in consonance with CARHRIHL.

8. The GRP must not use the US-instigated terror listing to undermine or do away with the support of the European Parliament for the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations and the facilitation of the same by European governments.#

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