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Myanmar negotiators issue joint statement on finalized ceasefire agreement

Xinhua, March 31, 2015 Adjust font size:

Peace negotiators of the Myanmar government and ethnic armed groups issued a joint statement here Tuesday, saying the finalized nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) will be submitted to the top level of respective sides for adoption before it is formally signed.

According to the statement, the government's Union Peace-Making Work Committee (UPWC) is to forward the NCA to the Union Peace- Making Central Committee, while the ethnic armed groups' Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) is to submit it to the leaders of respective armed groups.

Once the finalized NCA is approved, venue, time and signatories are to be designated through coordination for the formal signing.

The statement also said both sides are making efforts to initiate a political dialogue to build firm peace as desired by people across the country.

The two sides also issued a separate statement on the stance of reducing conflicts, saying clashes have occurred in some places in the country during the peace process under various backgrounds. " No matter which side suffered the loss, it was loss to the country, " the statement said.

The statement pledged cooperation to ensure non-recurrence of attacks during the implementation of the peace process.

Earlier in the day, peace negotiators of the two sides preliminarily signed a seven-chapter draft nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA).

The signing was witnessed by Myanmar President U Thein Sein, the UN Special Envoy Vijay Nambiar's Secretary and Chinese Foreign Ministry Special Envoy for Asian Affairs Wang Yingfan.

The Myanmar peace process began in November 2013 when the UPWC and NCCT met in Myitgyina, Kachin state's capital, for the first time for the nationwide ceasefire talks, while the final round, the seventh round, lasted from March 17 to 30 in Yangon. Endi