CPP affirms NDF decision to await new government for resumption of peace talks

July 21, 2005

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) concurred with the National Democratic Front (NDF) negotiating panel's position that peace negotiations with the current moribund Arroyo regime would be useless.

"What is the sense of continuing talks with a lameduck regime that will be gone very soon?" asked CPP spokesperson Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal.

The NDFP made the statement after the Arroyo government unilaterally vetoed passages in what would have been a joint communique issued this month announcing the resumption of formal talks. The deleted items pertained to issues which should be addressed for the talks to proceed smoothly. Foremost among these issues were the inclusion of the CPP, NPA and NDFP chief political consultant in various terrorist listings and attempts on the lives of NDFP consultants.

He pointed out that these actuations, which spring from Arroyo's zealous support for the US' "war on terror" and her subservience to the militarist Bush doctrine have actually and consistently prevented the GRP-NDF negotiations from moving forward.

Rosal moreover bewailed what he called the Arroyo regime's dismal record for the past four years on the peace talks. "The Arroyo government has put up one barrier after another to peace negotiations and torpedoed practically every agreement, past and present."

Rosal said that all the Arroyo regime only wanted to use the peace negotiations to compel the CPP-NPA to capitulate to the GRP. Instead of addressing the outstanding issues at the root of the present armed conflict, Arroyo repeatedly pressured the NDF to sign a surrender document in the name of a "final peace agreement" and enter into an indefinite ceasefire even in the absence of agreements on substantive issues.

"The Arroyo regime has also shown complete disinterest and contempt for the human rights agreement signed in 1998," Rosal said, referring to the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).

He said that given the Arroyo's deplorable atitude towards the peace talks and the fact that the Filipino people want Arroyo booted out of Malacanang at the soonest possible time because of the worsening burdens and suffering her rule has inflicted on the masses, the NDFP might as well wait for Arroyo's successor.

Rosal expressed confidence that peace negotiations with the Philippine government would have better chances of succeeding after the ouster of the Arroyo regime and the establishment of a new government that would be more serious and sincere in pursuing the peace process and much-needed socio-economic and political and constitutional reforms.

Reference:
Anne Buenaventura
Media Officer
Cellphone Number: +63910-240-3553

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