The National Democratic Front will ask the Philippine government to help in its campaign for the lifting of the terrorist tag by the United States and the European Union, a top NDF official said Thursday.

NDF spokesman Luis Jalandoni said coming up with a common stand against the US and EU terror tag on the communist movement -- NDF-Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army -- is one of the talking points of the negotiating panels in Oslo, Norway in August.

Among the agreed talking points is the activation of the joint monitoring committee, which was mandated to monitor the implementation of the human rights and International Humanitarian Law of 1988; the indemnification of human rights victims during the Marcos era and the release of political prisoners.

He said that with the lifting of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig), the government agreed to release arrested NDF consultants and personnel and drop "trump up charges filed against them so that they will be able to participate in the peace negotiations."

The NDF on Wednesday posted a statement on its website confirming Malacañang's announcement that it has agreed to return to the negotiating table.

Jalandoni said that a few days after the preparatory talks, formal peace talks will resume.

He said that the main issue to be taken up during formal talks is how the government should address the "roots of the armed conflict" including land reform, economic sovereignty and national industrialization.

"A few days after the preparatory meeting, there would be the discussion of the two reciprocal working committees on social and economic reforms," the NDF official said.

Good reason

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said arrest warrants against rebel leaders who will take part in the talks would be suspended, giving them immunity starting July 17 until the conclusion of talks aimed at ending the 40-year Maoist rebellion.

"We have enough good reason to agree to the resumption of the talks facilitated by the Norwegian government," Ermita told reporters.

Talks were suspended in 2004 after Arroyo refused communist demands that she ask the West -- including the United States and the European Union -- to cancel the rebels' designation as terrorists.

Many of the communists' top leaders live in exile in the Netherlands.

Their designation as terrorists on international lists led to the freezing of their assets and bank accounts, including those held by CPP founding chairman Jose Maria Sison, who is chief political consultant of the NDF’s negotiating panel. Sison is on self-exile in the Dutch city of Utrecht.