Government Peace Initiative on Brink of Collapse Amidst Communist Strife

A bitter internal struggle within the local communist movement has pushed the government's peace initiative to the brink of collapse, officials said Tuesday. The conflict between hardline leadership and Communist Party founder Jose Maria Sison, who is living in self-imposed exile in the Netherlands, has escalated, with local communist leaders accusing each other of cooperating with the military to assassinate a former rebel chief. The situation has left chief government negotiator Howard Dee frustrated, stating that the communist party may become so marginalized that pursuing peace talks becomes pointless.

Key Takeaways:

• The government's peace initiative is on the brink of collapse due to a bitter internal struggle within the local communist movement.
• Communist Party founder Jose Maria Sison, living in the Netherlands, has set preconditions for holding preliminary negotiations in Vietnam, including the withdrawal of Executive Order 125.
• Sison's group has demanded that the government guarantee the integrity of their principles while in Vietnam and facilitate his travel arrangements with the Dutch government.
• President Fidel Ramos has offered a temporary Philippine passport to Sison, but the communist leader refused unless the government guarantees that accepting the passport would not hurt his application for political asylum.
• Chief government negotiator Howard Dee has expressed exasperation with Sison's demands, stating that the communist party may become marginalized if they continue to delay.
• The conflict has led to the killing of a former rebel chief, Vicente Martinez, and allegations of cooperation with the military.
• Dee has offered to respect Sison's rights but not the integrity of his principles while in Vietnam.
• The government has agreed to a preliminary meeting in Vietnam to work out agenda, ground rules, and technical arrangements for exploratory talks.

Statistics:

• 8,000 to 10,000 rebels still in the mountains
• 1986 Philippine Constitution as the framework for the talks (established as Executive Order 125)
• Three preconditions set by Sison for holding preliminary negotiations in Vietnam

Sources:

• "Government peace talks with Reds on the brink of collapse" by upi mrc-jrr ccccqqe