Talks between the Philippines government and communist rebels aimed at reviving peace negotiations to end a 42-year insurgency in the Asian nation will be held in Oslo next week, a Norwegian official said Friday, AP reported. The meetings will be held Jan. 14-18 at an undisclosed location in the Norwegian capital, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Ragnhild Imerslund told the AP in an e-mail. «The talks will try to prepare for a possible resumption of formal negotiations,» Imerslund said. Negotiations between the Philippines government and the Marxist umbrella group National Democratic Front, or NDFP, are expected to include a rebel request to release Tirso Alcantara, a rebel commander on the main island of Luzon. Norway describes its role since 2001 in the Philippines peace effort as a third-party host that facilitates discussions, rather than as a mediator in the dispute. -- SPA
