Two vital agreements, considered as yet another set of breakthroughs, more than made up for the huge letdown when a bilateral ceasefire could not be forged, as the third round of the peace negotiations between the Philippine Government (GRP) and National Democratic Front came to a close Wednesday, January 25, at the Holiday Inn-Parco de Medici, Rome, Italy.

The supplemental guidelines for the full operation of the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Right and International Humanitarian Law (CARHIRL), and the adoption of the ground rules for the conduct of the formal meetings between the two panels’ Reciprocal Working Committees (RWCs) on social-economic reforms provided the much needed boost in this round, which was widely expected to churn out a bilateral ceasefire agreement.

In the closing ceremony delayed for three hours, and dampened by news that Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Founding Chairman and NDF Chief Political Consultant Jose Maria Sison had to be taken to the hospital the night before, the two parties issued a joint statement outlining the gains made in the seven-day round of talks, the longest yet according to Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza.

The statement heralded the positive gains that would be made with the full operation of the JMC, which will be tasked with “monitoring the implementation of, and achieving, the objectives of CARHRIHL in upholding human rights and international humanitarian law.

With the JMC in full operation, reports against human rights violations, committed by government forces or communist insurgents, may now be investigated and acted upon by an independent body composed of representatives from the GRP and NDF.

Then there was the adoption of the ground rules on the discussions on the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (CASER), which is said to be the heart and soul of the peace talks as it will tackle such basic issues like poverty.

Discussions on the CASER have always been the most contentious in past failed peace talks, and the ground rules are expected to further accelerate negotiations, according to the GRP’s RWC-CASER Chairman Roberto M. Ador.

“We have agreed to form bilateral teams which may hold meetings in the Philippines, or any mutually agreed upon venue. This will expedite the discussions, which used to be held only during the regular round of the negotiations,” Ador said.

The GRP and NDF agreed to hold the fourth round of talks in Oslo, Norway on April 2 to 6.

But before that, the two parties also agreed that the panel members and their respective ceasefire committees will meet in Utrecht, The Netherlands on February 22 to 27 to tackle the draft “Agreement on an Interim Bilateral Cessation of Hostilities.”

This draft was submitted by the GRP to the NDF last Tuesday, January 24, with the latter saying that “it will seriously study the proposal, submit comments, and may provide its own updated version of its proposed draft agreement for an interim bilateral ceasefire.”

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Rocky Nazareno

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