Philippine military chief wants talks with rebels

MANILA, July 16 (Reuters) The Philippines' military chief today suggested reviving peace negotiations with Maoist-led guerrillas as a step to end political violence in one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia.

But General Hermogenes Esperon, who a year ago promised to crush the "communist terrorists the soonest", wanted the rebels to agree first to a three-year ceasefire before talks could resume in Norway.

"My recommendation to higher officials and to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is to revive the peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front) with a three-year bilateral ceasefire," Esperon said.

Talks with the communists to end the conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people have been stalled since August 2004. The government has offered to resume the talks before but the rebels rejected its demand for a ceasefire.

Esperon made the latest proposal during a two-day meeting called by the Supreme Court to find ways to end the growing number of political killings and disappearances in the Philippines.

Most of the victims have been left-wing activists and the United Nations and rights groups have blamed the military for many of the killings.

Left-wing lawmakers criticised the military chief, saying he was trying to link the killings with the truce offer.

"Stopping extra-judicial killings is an unconditional demand that shouldn't be unfairly and maliciously premised on the capitulation of the rebels," Teodoro Casino, a congressman, told Reuters in a mobile phone text message.

"That's an illogical proposal. The killings of unarmed civilians shouldn't happen at all, even if fighting rages between the armed forces and the New People's Army." In his speech, Esperon defended the military's rights records, denying it was waging "a dirty war" against left-wing activists, farmers, labourers and journalists and blaming the violence on communist rebels and using it as propaganda against the army.

Local human rights group say more than 800 people have been killed since Arroyo came to power in 2001. Nearly 200 were also missing and believed to have been summarily executed as well.

Yesterday, Arroyo herself offered to resume talks with communist rebels.

"If they are still willing to come to the table, we are still willing to come to the table. We would rather have peace than war," she told Reuters in an interview.

Reuters SW PM1258>