Philippine gov't to exert all efforts for peace talks

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Friday said her administration was willing to "walk the extra mile" to finally achieve an agreement with leftist rebels and end the decades-old insurgency problem in the country.

"The yearnings of our people for peace have reached a high point, and we are prepared to walk the extra mile," Arroyo said ina statement.

"It is important that all sides heed the voice of the people, put all extraneous issues aside, and strike a clear path towards adurable, just and comprehensive peace under the rule of law," Arroyo said.

"This is the time that the Filipino people need peace most, as we strive to overcome the economic crisis and forge new political horizons for the future," she added.

"There is room for every creed and ideology in our democratic society for as long as principled politics, not arms, continue to be the standard of participation," Arroyo said.

Arroyo's call came after the rebel New People's Army (NPA) released two soldiers it held captive for more than five months inthe Bicol region in the northern Philippines.

Government peace negotiators and the NPA's political organization National Democratic Front (NDF) have viewed the release of the two soldiers as a possible step towards the resumption of the on-and-off peace talks.

The NDF postponed the new round of peace talks with the Philippine government originally scheduled on Aug. 24-30 in Oslo, Norway, after the United States renewed its listing of the NPA andits political party the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) as a foreign terrorist organization.

The nearly 9,000-strong NPA, which has been waging an insurgency for 35 years in remote areas in the Philippines, was designated foreign terror groups by Washington and the European Union after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the Untied States.

Source: Xinhua