Press Statement
April 6, 2018
The Duterte proposal to hold the GRP-NDFP peace talks in the Philippines may pose serious problems in the resumption of talks. It is a departure from the previous and well-established practice of holding the talks in a foreign neutral venue. These were previously hosted and paid for by the Royal Norwegian Government. The Philippines does not provide a conducive and safe venue for peace talks since extrajudicial killings, surveillance and other human rights violations are rampant. There is also the petition to proscribe the CPP-NPA as terrorists and the inclusion of the NDFP peace panel members and consultants in a list of alleged “terrorists”. The DOJ petition has been described as a hit list. Holding the talks in the Philippines may prove untenable and may sabotage the resumption before it even begins. It will endanger the negotiators from the NDFP side. We note that the militarists and peace spoilers are very active in undermining the talks. Let the two peace panels meet and negotiate in a foreign neutral venue as they have been doing in the past. Let not the issue of venue be another stumbling block to the desire of the people for peace talks to resume. ###
