“We, both the rebels and the government, cannot walk away from the negotiating table because Norway has consistently been there.”
The words comes from the Philippines’ Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Secretary Jesus G. Dureza who applauded Norway for acting as a facilitator between the government and the rebels.
“There is an umbilical cord that connects the government and the rebels – and that is Norway. We cannot walk away because we know that Norway is still there and continuously shepherding us towards moving forward in the peace process,” Mr. Dureza said on the occasion of the Norwegian Constitutional Day on May 17th.
And Norway is part of the International Monitoring Team overseeing the implementation of peace between the government and the rebels (MILF).
And Mr. Dureza continued his high praise of Norway:
“Many of those who worked as seafarers came from the barrios and remote areas. It is always the dream of our people to improve the lives of their families and Norway had helped them in a quiet but effective way,” Mr. Dureza said, referring to Norway employing 25.000 Filipinos as seafarers.
