Myanmar’s peace process is ex-pected to be pushed ahead with the third draft single text nation-wide ceasefire agreement this month. Gov-ernment peace negotiators and ethnic armed groups adopted their second draft agreement in a three-day negotiation in Yangon in May. The two sides stated that the third draft of the nationwide ceasefire agreement, which may be the final one, is expected to come out in this month for formal talks between the government’s Peace-Making Work Commit-tee (PMWC) and ethnic armed groups’ Na-tional Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT). According to the statement, “great strides are being made in pursuit of political dialogue” with the nationwide ceasefire agreement to be signed as soon as the text is finalised. That negotiation at the Myanmar Peace Centre, was headed by U Aung Min, who is PMWC vice chairman, while the NCCT was led by Pado Saw Kwe Htoo Win. Meanwhile, leaders of ethnic armed groups are planning a third summit of their own before the next formal ceasefire deal between PMWC and NCCT.
The summit will further review and discuss on the proposed third draft single text docu-ment from the NCCT side. Although the date of the summit has not been set yet, the gov-ernment has pledged support, suggesting the city of Tachiliek, Shan state, as the location for talks which will be confirmed later. The previous two ethnic summits were held in Laiza, Kachin state, in October-November 2013 and in KNU-controlled Law Khee Lar or Laywa in Kayin state in January 2014, re-spectively.
Leaders of 16 ethnic groups signed an 11-point framework agreement in the first summit. The second summit agreed in prin-ciple to the government’s framework propos-al for “first ceasefire, then political dialogue” to achieve peace and the demand for political dialogue was stipulated in the armed groups’ draft national ceasefire accord.
The NCCT have demanded a genuine feder-al union based on democracy, equality and self-determination, assuring other parties that self-rule proposed by ethnic groups is not a secession attempt.
The government and ethnic groups met in Yangon for the first time in early April for ceasefire talks, working out the first draft nationwide ceasefire agreement, in which seven sections were agreed which comprise the aims and objective, matters related to ceasefire, ways and means to be applied to consolidate the ceasefire and guarantese for entering into political talks and undertakings.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar government and the ethnic Kachin Independence Organiza-tion (KIO) formed a conflict mediation team on May 28 as part of the first phase of imple-menting a joint monitoring mechanism.
The 10-member conflict mediation team comprising five members from each side was set up at the Office of the KIO Technical Team in Myitgyina, capital of Kachin state, and will meet once a month.
The 10-member conflict mediation team comprising five members from each side was set up at the Office of the KIO Technical Team in Myitgyina, capital of Kachin state, and will meet once a month.
