The peace talks between the Duterte government and the Communists resumed in Oslo, Norway.
After the resumption of the peace talks between the government of the Philippines and the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in Oslo, Norway, the Duterte administration hopes that the hindrances to the attainment of long and lasting peace will finally be eliminated.
On his opening statement in the commencement of the formal peace talks between the government and the CPP’s negotiating arm, the National Democratic Front (NDF), Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said that several failures and breakdown in the peace talks were brought about by pre-conditions, hardline non-negotiable positions and the ghost of ‘status of belligerency’.
Dureza said that he hopes the past would teach a lesson and the new hope brought by the Duterte presidency’s eagerness to attain final peace settlement in the country must be taken advantage.
While he admitted that the way to peace is not going to be easy because of the walls the decades-long conflicts have built, doubts and armed struggles, Dureza is confident that any differences will ironed-out and both parties will be enlightened if they will remain committed to their single goal that is coming down to an agreement and to end the war.
“We all went through several breakdown of talks. We stumbled due to “preconditions,” so-called “hardline non- negotiable positions,” the ghost of the now obsolete “status of belligerency” rearing it’s ugly head from time to time. There were many more of these obstacles. We have long worked together and we hope to learn from the lessons of the immediate past,” said Dureza.
“But this peace journey is not on well-paved and concrete road. There will expectedly be humps and bumps along the way. The road to peace is not easy and rosy, considering the long history of animosity, suspicion and armed conflict that troubled our land. Hopefully all this now belong to yesterday. Today is the dawning of another day. As I always say: Let’s all stay the course! No matter what!!” he added.