From: an3892@anon.penet.fi
Subject: Peace Talks with NPA Could Collapse
Organization: Anonymous contact service
X-Anonymously-To: soc.culture.filipino
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 03:56:33 GMT

        MANILA, Philippines (UPI) -- The chief communist rebel negotiator
Tuesday accused President Fidel Ramos of escalating the army's offensive
against the guerrillas and warned this could bring the peace process 
``into serious danger of collapse.''
        Luis Jalandoni, self-exiled vice chairman of the communist-led
National Democratic Front, also charged Ramos of insincerity in his
efforts to peacefully end the 24-year rebellion that has left more than
22,000 Filipinos dead.
        Jalandoni, in a statement sent to news agencies, said the military
has intensified the bombing and shelling of villages suspected to harbor
communist guerrillas, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee
their homes.
        He also said the government has increased the military's annual
budget by 20 percent and plans to upgrade a militia force to 81,000
members.
        The former Roman Catholic priest slammed Ramos for releasing dozens
of detained right-wing military rebels ahead of an estimated 500 left-
wing political prisoners.
        ``The NDF condemns this escalation of the regime's 'total war' as a
grave injustice to the Filipino people and concrete proof that the
regime has not altered its militarist attitude towards resolving the
long-standing armed conflict,'' Jalandoni said.
        ``Indeed, the Ramos regime's violation of the very essence of genuine
peace negotiations brings the peace negotiation process into serious
danger of collapse,'' said the statement faxed from the Dutch city of
Utrecht, where Jalandoni holds office.
        Military spokesmen denied Jalandoni's allegations the army
indiscriminately bombed villages, saying it was a ``propaganda ploy'' by
the rebels.
        Analysts said Jalandoni's statements could further dampen hopes for
an early political settlement of one of the world's longest-running
communist insurgencies.
        Earlier Tuesday, communist New People's Army rebels ambushed a
government patrol in the northern province of Quirino, killing two
soldiers and two militiamen, a military report said. One soldier was
wounded while another was reported missing, it added.
        It was the first major guerrilla ambush after a temporary lull in the
fighting for the Christmas and New Year holidays.
        Ramos has offered to talk peace with the 13,500-strong NPA, but the
process has been stalled over guerrilla demands to hold discussions
abroad. Both sides have agreed that a cease-fire should not be a
requirement for the proposed peace talks.
        Ramos said Monday the rebel strength has been cut into half from its
peak of 26,000 fighters in the 1980s and were no longer a national
threat.
        ``They, however, constitute a threat to some local communities,
especially in very far-flung areas,'' said Ramos, a former general.
        Ramos has also initiated talks with right-wing coup plotters and
Muslim separatists in the southern Philippines.

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