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WAR REPORT
Philippine leader seeks Norway's help in peace talks
by Staff Writers
Manila (AFP) Jan 09, 2014


Three rebels killed in Colombia fighting
Bogota (AFP) Jan 09, 2014 - Colombian military forces killed three leftist guerrillas Thursday in fighting in a central region of the country, the defense ministry said.

The ministry said the ground combat in the province of Meta was preceded by air strikes.

The three killed were part of a security ring protecting a regional commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, it said, adding that a fourth guerrilla was captured.

The FARC has been in peace talks with the government of President Juan Manuel Santos since November 2012.

But fighting has continued and the government refused to reciprocate after the rebel group declared a unilateral truce last month. It is supposed to run until January 15.

The FARC, formed in 1964, has between 7,000 and 8,000 fighters.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino Thursday sought Norway's help in reviving failed peace talks with Maoist guerrillas, a senior presidential aide said, nearly a year after peace talks hosted by Oslo fell apart.

Aquino met Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende in the Philippine capital after the visiting diplomat said Norway remained committed to mediating negotiations between Manila and the National Democratic Front in a bid to end the decades-long insurgency.

"While serious problems have confronted and continue to challenge this particular peace process, the president affirmed the government's commitment to pursue a peaceful settlement of all internal armed conflict," Teresita Deles, Aquino's principal adviser on the talks, said after the meeting.

The Maoist insurgency has claimed 30,000 lives since 1969 according to government estimates, though its armed force is down to about 4,000 guerrillas from more than 26,000 in the late 1980s.

"The government of the Philippines will continue to consult with Norway as to how the process may move forward in light of current difficulties," said Deles.

In April last year the Aquino government announced that the peace talks being brokered by Norway had collapsed, dampening hopes of a political settlement before the president's six-year term ends in mid-2016.

Speaking to reporters earlier Thursday, Brende urged the Philippine government and Maoist rebels to consider returning to the negotiating table in the coming months.

"We are looking at the opportunities to resume talks in the future... during the (Aquino) presidency," Brende said after meeting with Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario.

On Sunday Luis Jalandoni, the Netherlands-based chief rebel negotiator, said in a statement to news organisations that the Maoists held the Aquino government "responsible for stopping the peace process".

He accused the Philippine government of failing to honour agreements between the negotiators, including the release of detained communist rebels.

"Because of the Aquino government's refusal to comply... the prospects this year of the peace negotiations between the Aquino administration and the (rebels) are dim," he said.

The Aquino government has had better results in negotiations with Muslim rebels, who have waged a guerrilla war for secession in the mainly Catholic nation's south in an insurgency which has claimed 150,000 lives since the early 1970s.

Manila says it is on track to sign a peace treaty with the Muslim rebels before Aquino leaves office.

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