Gov't hopes leftist rebels to return to negotiating table

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The government today expressed hope that the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) will convince leftist rebels to go back to the negotiating table.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles said the government remains open to resuming peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its negotiating arm the National Democratic Front (NDF).

Deles said Philippine President Benigno Aquino is even open to the idea of meeting with members of the NDF, similar to what he did when he met Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Al Haj Murad in Japan in 2011.

"The meeting would be done at the right time or when there has been enough evidence to show that such meeting will not be used just to score points," she said.

Deles also said continuing the armed struggle will adversely impact communities that have been calling for peace.

"We know that more and more people are calling for peace. We hear that in communities that have been affected by the conflict and so we hope that (the CPP) will continue to look at these realities," she said.

Deles made the statement just a few days after two top leaders of the CPP were arrested in the central Philippine province of Cebu.

NDF peace panel head Luis Jalandoni had protested the arrest of the couple, Benito Tiamzon and Wilma Austria Tiamzon, saying it was illegal since both are covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).