Reds reject peace overture

The Daily Tribune

07/18/2007

Manila---The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) yesterday rejected a ceasefire offered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. in a bid to revive stalled peace talks.

CPP founder Jose Maria Sison, in a statement from the Netherlands, where he is in self-exile, said the group will only return to the negotiating table when the Philippine government moves to have it removed from a terrorist blacklisting in the United States and Europe.

He stressed the Arroyo administration must also show it is sincere about stopping the military from carrying out political killings, while also indemnifying victims of human rights violations.

“Until now, the (government) has not made any serious response to the just and reasonable demands of the CPP and its political wing, the National Democratic Front (NDF),” Sison noted.

In a major reversal of policy, Esperon on Monday recommended for President Arroyo to resume talks with the CPP and that both sides agree to a three-year bilateral ceasefire.

He said the move could help lead to a drop in unexplained killings and disappearances.

But communist chief peace negotiator Luis Jalandoni said Esperon’s statement was “cheap propaganda.”

“General Esperon does not care to address the root causes of the list of foreign terrorist organizations and a subsequent crackdown on

armed conflict,” he stressed, adding, “He wants only the pacification of the revolutionary movement.”

Negotiations with the communists have been suspended since 2004 over the rebels’ inclusion on the US and European governments’ list of foreign terrorist organizations and a subsequent crackdown on international funds being channeled into the movement.

The Council of the European Union, for its part, also yesterday maintained that Sison will not be removed from its terrorist list despite a recent court ruling in Luxembourg.

The Council, in a statement, said although the Luxembourg-based Court of First Instance ordered the unfreezing of Sison’s assets in Europe, it did not cite in its ruling if he is involved or not in terrorism.

“This decision is not affected by the present ruling of the Court of First Instance. This means that Mr. Sison remains on the list in spite of the criticisms set out in the court’s judgment, which have already been fully addressed,” it stressed.

“The court’s judgment focused on EU procedures, and did not address the substantive question as to whether Jose Maria Sison is or is not involved in terrorism,” the Council added.

It stressed the EU list of terrorist groups and individuals is drawn up and kept under review on an autonomous basis by the Council pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 of 2001, which requires that the funds of persons and groups involved in terrorism be frozen.

Meanwhile, Malacañang has expressed disappointment with the communist group after it rejected the ceasefire offered by the government.

National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales yesterday said there is no sense pursuing a peace process without the related ceasefire mechanism.

He, however, expressed hope the communist group, through its political wing, the National Democratic Front (NDF), would change its mind and accept the offer.

“We’d rather bring them (CPP-NPA) to the peace table so this problem could be discussed formally. Nothing could be done if they reject the truce, what’s the use of the talks then?” Gonzales stressed.

A Malacañang ally in the Senate, however, yesterday questioned the move taken by the Palace and the military leadership to call for ceasefire with the communist group and pursue instead peace talks, raising doubts whether such is a sound decision for the government.

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, a member of the majority bloc in the Senate, expressed apprehension over the step taken by the Executive, as there is no showing, even in the past, on the part of the communist group from slowing down in its armed struggle even where there are ceasefire agreements.

“I’m not saying what Esperon said was wrong, but (the offer) should be studied carefully because if I were on their situation, I have to assess which side will benefit more in this kind of a game, in this lull,” he told an interview over dzBB.

He pointed out that even during the Aquino administration, when Republic Act 1700, or the Anti-Subversion Law was scrapped, the insurgency problem was not resolved.

Enrile, however, stressed he is not passing judgment on the government as decisions such as this depend on various factors such as the current situation and the kind of approach the administration wanted to employ to end the 38-year-old insurgency problem.

He added the government should be specific whether the policy will mean discontinuing with armed conflict or agitation will continue “because you are dealing here with two kinds of warfare, armed struggle and political warfare.”

“Will both kinds of warfare stop with the ceasefire?” the senator asked. Sherwin C. Olaes, Michaela P. del Callar, Angie M. Rosales and AFP