Joma Sison scores Palace for rejecting peace talks

MANILA, Philippines - The Arroyo government's rejection of a joint statement to resume peace talks betrays its insincerity in the peace process, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Maria Sison said. Sison said the Arroyo government merely wants to scrap the progress already made, and replace it with ceasefire negotiations that allow systematic human rights violation. "By its hostile reaction to the Madrigal-Jalandoni joint statement, the Arroyo regime exposes its lack of desire for the immediate resumption of formal talks in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements," he said in a statement on the CPP website. "The regime wants to scrap and lay aside these agreements and replace the substantive peace negotiations on social, economic and political reforms with ceasefire negotiations concurrent with the gross and systematic violations of human rights, the faking of localized peace negotiations and real racketeering on ghost amnesty beneficiaries," he added. In the meantime, he said the Arroyo regime is becoming more and more desperate as the financial, economic and political crisis of the imperialist system is rapidly worsening. He added the Filipino people are urging the GRP and National Democratic Front of the Philippines to resume formal talks for peace and national unity to confront the ills of the country. Sison scored President Arroyo and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita for attacking the joint statement of National Democratic Front (NDF) chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni and Sen. Ana Consuelo Madrigal to resume peace talks. "The attack is utterly malicious and deplorable," he said. Even the call for the replacement of Hermogenes Esperon Jr as presidential adviser on the peace process is addressed to President Arroyo and implies her prerogative to appoint or replace her own personnel, he said. "Being part of the GRP as senator and as chairperson of the Senate Committee on peace, unification and reconciliation, Madrigal has also the prerogative to make demands on Arroyo. It is along this line that Jalandoni expresses agreement with the good senator," he added. - GMANews.TV