Philippine communist rebels said yesterday that they were willing to resume talks with the government if it takes steps to strike the underground Communist Party and its armed wing from US and European terror lists.
The statement by the Marxist umbrella National Democratic Front (NDF), follows its earlier declaration that it would postpone the talks until a new government succeeds that of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is facing impeachment on charges of vote rigging, bribery and other crimes.
"The National Democratic Front of the Philippines is for the continuity of peace negotiations," chief rebel negotiator Luis Jalandoni said in a statement from exile in The Netherlands. "If the [government] somehow manages to comply with its obligations and previous agreements ... there is no reason why formal talks between the negotiating panels cannot be held."
Jalandoni also said "communications and some work" to pave the way for the resumption of formal talks could be done.
He reiterated that the rebels have not abandoned the talks for a political settlement ending the 36-year-old communist insurgency.
He said that before the current political crisis now battering Arroyo, the NDF had urged the government to comply with some "obligations, especially that of undertaking effective measures" to remove the underground Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People's Army and party founder Jose Maria Sison from terror lists.
The government was also asked to release political prisoners and compensate victims of human- rights violations under late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
The rebels have accused the government of lobbying the US and European countries into tagging the rebels as terrorists to cut off their foreign funding. Government spokesmen have countered by saying it was a "sovereign act" by other countries, with which it could not interfere.
The government responded to the rebel announcement of postponing the talks by revoking the protection it had granted to 97 rebel negotiators and their staff. Some of those covered by the agreement are senior officers of the Communist Party and the New People's Army.
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