The session Friday included a welcome ceremony and introductory remarks, and the actual discussions would begin Saturday, said Ture Lund, a Norwegian Foreign Ministry official facilitating the talks. He declined to name the representatives, and said neither side would comment on the meeting until it’s finished, on Jan. 18.
Talks between the two sides were suspended in 2004 when the rebels, who have fought for a Marxist state since 1969, withdrew from negotiations. They accused the government of instigating the inclusion of the Communist Party and its armed wing on US and European lists of terrorist organizations.
In Manila, Philippine Presidential Peace Adviser Teresita Deles said the meeting in Oslo has no preset agenda and the main aim is to lay down procedures for next month’s formal talks.
She said the agenda for those talks in February will include socio-economic reforms as well as political and constitution reforms, so discussions will be “more of how do we proceed so we don’t have this long, drawn-out discussion on reforms that will not get us anywhere.” “We want to be able to discuss with them how we can do this the fastest way, so that we get to the final peace agreement that people are looking for,” she told reporters.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda earlier said discussions will likely include the guerrillas’ demand for the release of Tirso Alcantara, a rebel commander on the main island of Luzon. Alcantara, known also as Comrade Bart, was arrested just after the two sides ended a 19-day Christmas truce earlier this week.
The underground Communist Party has demanded the release of Alcantara “before the resumption of formal peace talks,” saying he is one of the rebels’ consultants in the negotiations.
Lacierda said the government panel will also likely raise the rebels’ alleged use of land mines.
Norway describes its role since 2001 in the Philippines peace effort as a third-party host that facilitates discussions, rather than as a mediator in the dispute.
