Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 30) — Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said given President Rodrigo Duterte’s unconventional leadership style, he could initiate back channel talks with terrorists.
“Well, already he has opened the doors…But the mere fact that he states it, that means to say that he’s open to it,” Abella said in a press briefing on Tuesday, when asked what mechanism could be used for a dialogue between the President and terror groups.
Abella also said Duterte could find a way to push through with the measure, despite an ongoing operation in Marawi City where terror group Maute clashed with government forces.
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“They can always back channel, right?…as you can very well see, the way he has run his Cabinet is from left to right, right to left, top to bottom, in other words he’s very, very open to dialogue and his sincerity on the matter should not be questioned,” Abella said.
While Abella acknowledged that the government has a policy of not negotiating with terrorists, he said he “will not presume” on the matter.
On Saturday, Abella said in a statement that Duterte is open for dialogue with the terrorists, in time for the first day of the Muslims’ holy month of Ramadan.
“In this spirit of Muslim peace, the President has offered the hand of peaceful dialogue to terrorist groups, to avoid bloodshed in this time of prayer, fasting, and mercy,” he said.
READ: Duterte ‘offers peaceful dialogue’ to terrorists
