Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Manila (Fides) - In view of elections in May, the Philippines government is in a hurry to reach an agreement with the different rebel groups in the country. While waiting for the start of explorative talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, with the mediation of Malaysia in Oslo capital of Norway government representatives are meeting the pro-Communist rebels of the New People’s Army NPA which has operated for over 35 years with whom negotiations were suspended two years ago.
In the first sessions of dialogue, the NPA asked the government to sign a joint declaration requesting the removal of their name from the list of terrorist organisations censured by the US State Department and the European Union.
So far the proposal has not been accepted by the government and the government negotiators led by Silvestre Bello have explicitly asked the guerrilla group to provide first of all some “legal and moral justification”, by stopping armed attacks, extortion and other violence with which these pro Communist guerrillas fund their activities.
Rebel spokesman Gregorio Rosal said: “We are not terrorists. If what we do in the country were terrorism, people would not have supported us for more than 30 years entrusting their sons to us in the name of the revolution”. NPA has also demanded the release of political prisoners and compensation for killings and the atrocities committed by the regular army under dictator Ferdinando Marcos. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 12/2/2004 lines 27 words 264)
