MANILA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Friday that the government will stop peace talks with communist rebels, saying the government is just wasting money in negotiating peace with the insurgents.
In a speech in Davao City on Friday, Duterte said, "I believe you, Mr. Sison, We stop talking. We're wasting our time... Let us renew the fighting for another 50 years. It's what you want..."
Duterte was referring to Jose Ma. Sison, the exiled founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
"Let us stop talking. I'm tired. It's a great expense to send people there for nothing. Let's start fighting, stop talking," said the president.
Duterte's statement came a day after he threatened on Thursday to launch an offensive against the communist rebels after the ongoing war to liberate Marawi City from Islamist militant is over.
In his remarks to the troops in Marawi on Thursday, Duterte said he is no longer interested in peace talks with the rebels who are continuing to attack government security forces despite the ongoing peace talks.
"There is a resurgence of attacks. They (the communist rebels) owe us a lot. I no longer want to talk to them. They have killed many of my police and soldiers," Duterte said.
"Once the war in Marawi is finished off, we will reorient and go after the NPA."
Duterte's spokesman, Ernesto Abella, said on Friday that peace talks with the communist rebels are on hold until an "enabling environment is achieved."
"Regarding the peace talks ... everything is on hold at this stage until the conditions that are favorable will be agreed upon by both parties," Abella told a news conference at the Malacanang presidential palace.
Asked to clarify Duterte's statement, presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza said that "I have not heard him say categorically talks over or terminated.'"
"If there will (be) a new official announced position, then let's all wait for a categorical statements coming from the president no less," said the advisor.
Dureza Wednesday announced the scrapping of the scheduled backchannel talks with the rebels. The informal talks were arranged to decide whether or not the stalled fifth round of formal talks will be continued or discontinued.
The Duterte administration is apparently angered by the recent rebel attacks against government security forces and even private business who refused to give money to the rebels.
Last Wednesday, rebels attacked the presidential security men in Arakan town in Cotabato Province, which resulted in the killing of a militia man and wounding of five presidential guards.
Two unarmed marine soldiers who were buying vegetables in a wet market in Palawan province were also killed.
Wednesday's attacks in Cotabato and Palawan are among the latest offensives launched by the rebels in recent weeks.
The stalled negotiations to end the decades-old communist insurgency is scheduled to resume in August. But Duterte had warned that he would not allow peace talks to continue if the communist rebels continue its offensive against government security forces.
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its NPA guerrillas have been fighting the government since 1969. The NPA, one of Asia's longest-running insurgencies, concentrates its attacks in rural areas and small-scale skirmishes with the military.
Previous attempts to forge a peace pact with the communist rebels have failed.
