Leftists rebuff government's Christmas truce

MALACANANG expressed surprise Sunday over reports that the communist group rejected the Christmas truce offered by the government, including the possible resumption of peace talks while President Arroyo is in power.

However, Presidential adviser on the peace process Teresita Deles said they are still checking if the National Democratic Front (NDF), the communist group's decision-making body, indeed made such claims.

She said they would defer comment until they get the official word.

Silvestre Belllo III, chairman of the government panel negotiating with the NDF, said he was surprised with the report especially since he had just talked to Fidel Agcaoili, an NDF consultant who informed him that they are still studying the possibility of reciprocating the three-week truce declared by the Arroyo administration.

Bello said while no date has been set yet for the resumption of talks, the insurgent group's openness to reciprocate the truce is a good sign.

Arroyo last December 15 announced a unilateral ceasefire from December 16 to January 5.

Bello said while it is all right if the communist group would not reciprocate the truce, since it is a "unilateral" it would be better if they would observe the temporary ceasefire during the holiday season.

"I'm surprised. Whenever the government would declare a ceasefire, they usually reciprocate it by declaring their own. I cannot remember a time when the government declare a unilateral ceasefire and the NDF did not reciprocate...Well, maybe one time...During the time of Erap (former President Joseph Estrada)," he said.

The NDF, in a statement, said it "considers as tricky psywar (psychological war) the so-called unilateral ceasefire issued by the (government) for the Christmas and New Year holidays and is calling on the people and the revolutionary forces to be vigilant against the treacherous acts of the military, police, paramilitary and private armed gangs of the regime."

Agcaoili added that while they "desire" the resumption of talks with the government, "the prospects for such resumption under the Arroyo regime are dim."

The NDF called off peace talks with the government in August after the United States government reinstated the political arm, New People's Army (NPA) in their list of foreign terrorist organizations. The US State Department first put the NPA in its blacklist after the September 11, 2001 attacks. (JMR)

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