The Philippine government has dropped its precondition of a prolonged ceasefire with the communists as it scheduled another round of informal talks with them in Norway this month, a Vietnamese official stated earlier this week.
The government has declared it self open to “short, sporadic ceasefire agreements” if only to move the peace talks forward, presidential adviser on the peace process Avelino Razon Jr. said.
The Communist Party of the Philippines and its military arm, the National People’s Army, have rejected a nine-month ceasefire that the Arroyo administration had offered in November.
“We have officially dropped our ceasefire demand just so we can move the talks forward. We have already informed Oslo of our intent to have another round of informal talks this month”, Avelino Razon Jr. Stated.
