By Fidel V. Agcaoili
Member and Spokesperson, NDFP Negotiating Panel
Fidel Agcaoili, member of the NDFP Negotiating Panel, slammed today the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) for failing to comply substantially with the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) to enable the NDFP consultants in detention and those with arrest warrants to take part in the resumption of the formal talks in the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations this month in Oslo, Norway.
"It has been more than two months since 15 June 2009 when GRP representatives promised to supposedly lift its co-called suspension of the JASIG. Yet only one NDFP consultant, Mr. Randall Echanis, has been released conditionally for only six months in gross violation of the JASIG", Agcaoili said.
"The GRP wants to hide its broken promise in a flurry of press releases by Generals Eduardo Ermita and Avelino Razon that conjures the illusion of cooperating with the NDFP in the full implementation of the JASIG."
"The fact is, the GRP keeps putting up obstacles to undermine the JASIG, prevent the NDFP consultants from attending the scheduled resumption of the formal talks and altogether scrap the peace negotiations", Agcaoili added.
"The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is correct in saying that the GRP is a very tricky regime to deal with. Unless the JASIG is complied with substantially, the resumption of the formal talks in the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations is indeed in peril," Agcaoili concluded.
