OSLO, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government said Monday it was possible to sign a peace agreement with communist rebels within a year as the two sides resumed peace talks in Norway's capital city in an attempt to end Asia's longest-running insurgency.
Talks are scheduled from Aug. 22-26 between the negotiating panels of the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), the umbrella organization of Marxist groups including the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed group, the New People's Army.
Both sides have a common understanding about speeding up the peace process and "we have imposed a timeline of nine to 12 months," Silvestre Bello, the Philippine labor minister and head of the government negotiating team, told a press conference after an opening ceremony of the talks.
His NDFP counterpart Luis Jalandoni also said that the peace process could be accelerated as both sides showed their commitment for peace recently, including the two sides' declarations of a ceasefire and the government's release of about 20 rebel prisoners who are needed in the peace negotiations.
"With the commitment for just and lasting peace, declared by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and the leadership of the NDFP, Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People's Army, we are confident we can decisively move forward towards achieving a just and lasting peace," Jalandoni said in his speech at the opening ceremony.
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