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Roundup: Fresh peace talks in Myanmar pushes for finalizing draft ceasefire accord

Xinhua, March 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Myanmar government and ethnic armed groups resumed their peace talks here on Tuesday, focusing on outstanding issues of a draft nationwide ceasefire accord in a bid to finalize the peace deal.

The 7th round of talks at the Myanmar Peace Center is between the government's Union Peace-Making Work Committee (UPWC) and the National Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) of 16 ethnic armed groups.

The UPWC side is led by its Vice Chairman U Aung Min, who is also minister at the President's Office, while the NCCT side is headed by U Naing Han Tha.

U Aung Min said in his opening remarks that the government was making efforts to reach the nationwide ceasefire accord aimed at laying down a firm base of carrying the peace process through to the next term of government, creating a firm ceasefire and starting political dialogue.

The government cited the establishment of a joint monitoring committee on ceasefire and a committee for sponsoring political dialogue as an important steps of the peace process.

The ethnic armed group side highlighted the recent Kachin Independence Organization's (KIO) meetings with the government and military leaders amid heavy conflicts in northern Myanmar as a good prospect and the confidence building between them contributed to the nationwide ceasefire talks between UPWC and NCCT.

The armed group also suggested that fightings in Kachin state, Ta'ang or Palaung area and Kokang region should be covered by the discussions to ease tension in those areas, while not using force to resolve domestic conflicts as it could put the country into chaos and poverty.

The military representative expressed welcome over understanding built between the armed forces and the KIO during Monday's meeting between the defense chief and the KIO leader, calling for inclusive discussions.

Before the resumption of peace talks, Myanmar President U Thein Sein, Vice President Sai Mauk Kham and Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Service Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing met separately on Monday with a special delegation of the KIO in Nay Pyi Taw, led by General Secretary La Ja and its army's Deputy Chief of Staff Major- General Guan Maw.

During that meeting, the KIO forwarded a peace proposal to the President, reaffirming its commitment to the ongoing peace process until success.

President U Thein Sein maintained that ethnic conflict "cannot be resolved by use of force but through political dialogue."

The 6th round of ceasefire talks, held in September last year, approved the fourth draft of the ceasefire agreement.

In fact, important progress has been made in the last two rounds of talks, as both sides have overcome many conflicting issues to reach consensus and moved toward finalization of the draft ceasefire accord.

During the last talks, the government made a major concession to the ethnic armed groups' demand for building a federal system of government, guaranteeing the rights of democracy, nationalities equality and self-determination.

The armed groups also agreed with the government's consistent principles of non-disintegration of the union, non-disintegration of national solidarity and perpetuation of sovereignty.

The UPWC and leaders of the ethnic armed groups met in Myitgyina, Kachin state's capital, for the very first time in November 2013 for ceasefire talks. The UPWC also met with NCCT on a number of occasions in an effort to work out the draft ceasefire agreement.

In the course of peace talks, leaders of the ethnic armed groups had also held three summits - the first in Kachin state's Laiza in October-November 2013, followed by one in Laywa in Kayin state in January 2014 and the third in Laiza in July.

Since President U Thein Sein took office in March 2011, he has vigorously pushed the process of national reconciliation, having realized ceasefire with 14 ethnic armed groups individually out of 16. The government is now moving forward to a nationwide ceasefire before political dialogue for a lasting peace in the country. Endi