Topic: amnesty

Exiled communist leader Jose Maria Sison on Thursday welcomed the possible reopening of peace negotiations, and urged the government and rebel negotiators to formally convene soon to thresh out disputes hampering the resumption of the talks.

DAVAO CITY – Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison said the resumption of the peace talks between government (GRP) and National Democratic Front is necessary to thresh out substantive issues and deal with the complaints and expressed confidence they can achieve a “substantial success.”

NDFP chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison said they are likewise open and ready to resume the peace negotiations and expect the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and NDFP negotiating panels to meet as soon as possible.

Sison, however, said the petition is “a problem” because it has banned NDFP communist consultants from participating in peace negotiations.
“That kind of obstacle or hindrance must be dealt with properly in a timely manner,” the Netherlands-based Sison said in an interview with ANC.

The petition is “a problem” because it has banned NDFP communist consultants from the 2 organizations from participating in peace negotiations, said Sison, founder of the CPP.

The resumption of peace talks between the GRP and NDFP negotiating panels is needed precisely to deal with substantive issues and complaints.In the same round of formal talks, as well as in preceding consultations, the panels can present conflicting positions and subsequently seek to solve the problems on mutually acceptable grounds.

The GRP and NDFP as negotiating parties must comply with agreements already signed and approved by them, such as The Hague Joint Declaration, JASIG, Joint Agreement on the Reciprocal Working Committees, CARHRIHL and others. In resuming the peace negotiations, these agreements must be reaffirmed and followed. Obstacles and hindrances to the peace negotiations must be done way with

“This agreement on coordinated unilateral ceasefire is in the same package of draft agreements, including the draft amnesty to release all NDFP-listed political prisoners in compliance with CARHRIHL and the drafts of such major parts of CASER as Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ARRD) and National Industrialization and Economic Development (NIED),” Sison said.

Sison said the concurrence of Congress is needed for a presidential amnesty proclamation to release all political prisoners in compliance with the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) in exchange for a mutually effective ceasefire as the first step towards the end of hostilities.

“The cooperation of Congress is also needed to pass the laws for enabling the realization and implementation of the policy agreements to be embodied in the comprehensive agreements on social and economic reforms, political and constitutional reforms and the end of hostilities and disposition of forces,”