Gov't, leftist rebel group to meet in Netherlands

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Representatives from the Philippine government and the leftist rebel group National Democratic Front Philippines (NDFP) will meet in Utrecht, Netherlands in the next few days to discuss the possible resumption of the stalled peace negotiations.

NDFP chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni said in a statement issued today that the upcoming meeting is the product of consultations between the NDFP negotiating panel and a "high level delegation" from the government.

"The two sides are discussing the possible resumption of peace negotiations after the collapse of talks on truce and cooperation last February 2013," the Netherlands-based Jalandoni said.

He said Elizabeth Slattum, the new special envoy from the Royal Norwegian Government (RNG) which is facilitating the peace process, attended one of the consultation meetings last Oct. 18 in Utrecht. Espen Lindbaeck, the deputy director of the peace and reconciliation section of the RNG Foreign Ministry, also attended the meeting.

"This new team of the RNG expressed its willingness to help in the resumption of formal talks and to hold the next meeting of the negotiating panels in Oslo, Norway," Jalandoni said.

Jalandoni said revolutionary forces made a "goodwill measure to promote peace" by releasing four "prisoners of war" (POWs) last July 29, referring to four policemen held captive during a raid of the Alegria police station in the southern Philippine province of Surigao del Norte.

Peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the NDFP, the negotiating arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), bogged down due to unresolved issues in both the regular and special tracks of talks.

For one, the NDFP has been insisting on the release of its detained consultants, saying their arrest was in violation of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees.