MANILA, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Talks between the Philippine government and the leftist rebels to end the decades-long insurgency in the country will resume next month, the chief negotiator of the Philippine government said Tuesday.
Government chief negotiator Silvestre Bello III said he had talked with Fidel Agcaoili, chief negotiator of the National Democratic Front (NDF) of the Philippines, on Sunday and agreed to hold the talks in August.
"We will probably have the fifth round (of the talks in) the second or third week of August," Bello told a news conference at the Malacanang presidential palace.
However, Bello said that the resumption of the formal talks will depend on the results of the informal talks that both sides plan to hold before the formal round of talks.
"There will be an informal meeting and they will discuss mainly on the issue of socioeconomic reforms and the possible interim unilateral ceasefire."
The government canceled the fifth round of peace negations with the communist rebels in Noordwijk in the Netherlands late in May.
Norway is brokering the ongoing formal peace negotiations, acting as the third party facilitator of the talks since 2001.
But Bello said that the formal talks in August will likely be held in Asia, possibly in the Philippines.
Bello also said that the NDF panel wants to hold the informal talks in Japan but he suggested that it be held either in China's Hong Kong or the Philippines.
