MANILA, Philippines - The National Democratic Front (NDF) negotiating panel accused the government yesterday of jeopardizing the resumption of peace talks for failing to comply with the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).
In a statement, the NDF assailed the government for preventing the NDF consultants, who are still detained and subject of arrest warrants, from participating in the formal peace negotiations between the government and the rebels this month in Oslo, Norway.
“It has been more than two months since June 15, 2009 when government representatives promised to supposedly lift its so-called suspension of the JASIG. Yet only one NDF consultant, Randall Echanis, has been released conditionally for only six months in gross violation of the JASIG,” said Fidel Agcaoili, chairman of the NDF negotiating panel.
Agcaoili said the government wants to hide its broken promise in a flurry of press releases by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Avelino Razon Jr., who is now the presidential peace adviser, that conjures the illusion of cooperation of the government with the NDF in the implementation of the JASIG.
“The fact is, the government keeps putting up obstacles to undermine the JASIG, prevent the NDF consultants from attending the scheduled resumption of formal talks and altogether scrap the peace negotiations,” Agcaoili said.
“The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is correct in saying that the government is a very tricky regime to deal with. Unless the JASIG is complied with substantially, the resumption of the formal talks is indeed in peril,” Agcaoili said.
The NDF announced last month that formal peace talks with the government is set to resume sometime this month as preparations were being made by the respective panels in the negotiations.
Jalandoni said NDF and the government negotiating panels have approved the implementation of the JASIG and the list of persons covered by the agreement in the preparatory meetings and eventual formal talks between the two parties.
He said the legal teams of the two panels were working and cooperating to ensure the implementation of the JASIG.
Jalandoni said the government of Norway, as Third Party Facilitator, helped the members of the negotiating panels to meet in The Hague last June 15 and they agree on the preparations for the resumption of formal peace talks.
Malacañang said it is reinstating the safety and immunity guarantees for NDF negotiators for the peace talks. The lifting of the suspension of the JASIG took effect last July 17.
JASIG provides immunity from arrest to members, consultants and staff of the NDF who are part of the peace negotiating team.