OSLO, May 15 (Reuters) - The Philippine government and the rebel National Democratic Front met in Norway for informal peace talks on May 13-15, the first such meeting in almost three years, Norwegian diplomats said on Thursday.

"The (government of the Philippines) and the NDF have exchanged views on the status of the peace process," the Norwegian foreign ministry said in a statement. "The parties have agreed to meet again, and have invited Norway to facilitate a meeting later this year."

The secret talks, which were requested by both sides, were the first meeting between the negotiating panels since August 2005, the ministry said. Formal talks between the two sides had stalled a year earlier.

The military wing of the NDF has waged an armed rebellion to set up a Maoist state in the Southeast Asian country that has killed more than 40,000. Since 1986, Manila has been holding on-and-off peace talks with the NDF.

"These were informal talks, with the intention of paving the way for formal meetings of the two negotiating panels," the NDF's chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni told Reuters.

"There was a very frank exchange of views where both sides, with the help of the Norwegian government, were able to express their views and raise issues and bring up major points."

Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Raymond Johansen said in the statement that the conflict had caused much suffering and that Norway wanted to ensure that efforts to resolve "forgotten conflicts" got the international support they needed.

"I hope that these talks have created a platform for the parties, with Norwegian assistance, to further advance the peace process," Johansen said.

Norway, which has facilitated peace contacts between the NDF and the government since 2001, has played an active role in peace-making from Latin America to the Middle East, the Horn of Africa and Asia. (Reporting by John Acher; Editing by Elizabeth Piper)

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