Roundup: Myanmar's Panglong Peace Conference ends with determination to achieving peace

The 21st Century Panglong Conference of Myanmar ended successfully in Nay Pyi Taw with participants agreeing to find solutions through coordination and discussions towards the goal of achieving peace under the guideline of Nationwide Cease fire Accord (NCA).

The four-day conference ended on Saturday calling for all sides with different stances and opinions to coordinate without delay to realize peace in the country.

Obvious challenges arising from the conference go to that how to bring in non-signatories to the NCA, said U Zaw Htay, member of the Committee for Holding Panglong Conference, adding that if they are not included in the political dialogue, there will be no peace.

Thanking stakeholders for the successful holding of the Panglong Conference, Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, who is also chairperson of Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC), called the event a part of the peace process, stressing the need for constant efforts to keep up the momentum for peace and reconciliation.

"Peace is not a thing only discussed in the conference. We must keep on efforts to achieving peace for the reunification of the country," she said in her closing remarks at the conference.

Suu Kyi encouraged the groups present to brave the future rather than being tied to the past, stressing that this resolution is not in the interest of individuals but for the benefits of the union.

She stressed the importance of the public support to the success of the peace conference, adding that no government can accomplish any task without public support.

She called on all parties to find ways to overcome differences through dialogue and cooperation, saying that government has a crucial obligation to prioritize the will of the public.

She said all participants make the 21st Century Panglong Conference a historical and honourable one since it was first held in 1947.

In addition to agreeing to continue reviewing the framework for political dialogue and start the dialogue at national level right after the conference, all participants expressed their aspirations for peace in the country, agreeing to establish a union based on democracy and federal system as envisioned in the Nationwide Cease fire Accord (NCA) for peace building.

There were heated debated among representatives at the meeting who presented their diversified stances and opinions.

The second round of the conference is set to take place after six months.

The conference, which aims to unite all ethnic groups in Myanmar and build a democratic federal union through dialogue, kicked off in Nay Pyi Taw on Wednesday.

The conference gathered about 1,600 representatives from the government, parliament, military, political parties, ethnic armed and non-armed organizations as well as civil society organizations. Endit