Myanmar government, rebels discuss ceasefire deal

Yangon, March 15: The Myanmar government’s Peace-Making Work Committee (PMWC) and the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) met in the tiol capital y Pyi Taw on Sunday to discuss a tionwide ceasefire, according to the Myanmar Peace Centre. The PMWC delegation was led by its chairman and Vice President Sai Mauk Kham, while the KIO was headed by its general secretary La Kya and its army’s deputy chief Guan Maw, Xinhua reported. The Myanmar government called for a prompt tionwide ceasefire so as to hold political dialogue, while the KIO side wanted to put forward a proposal to both President U Thein Sein and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing.

According to U Hla Maung Shwe, an official of the Myanmar Peace Centre, KIO and military officials will again meet in the capital on Monday to continue their discussions.

The PMWC and ethnic armed groups’ tionwide Ceasefire Coordition Team (NCCT) are expected to hold their seventh round of peace talks on Tuesday to filise a draft tionwide ceasefire accord.

The peace talks, origilly set for mid-January, were delayed by fresh clashes between the government forces and the Kachin Independence Army. On February 12, the Myanmar government and four ethnic armed groups out of 13 and 55 political parties out of 61 signed a six-point commitment to peace and tiol reconciliation in y Pyi Taw.

However, the KIO, along with Ta’ang tiol Liberation Army (TNLA) and Karenni tiol Progressive Party (KNPP), did not sign the deal. The sigtories pledged to filise a tionwide ceasefire agreement as soon as possible and draw up framework for a political dialogue to be held ahead of the 2015 general election. The last round of ceasefire talks approved the fourth draft of a ceasefire agreement in September last year. (IANS)