Yangon, December (13)
The Military Council said that it is not yet ready to accept the offer of informal talks by the seven Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), the spokesperson for the seven NCA-signatories told Than Lwin Times.
The seven NCA-signatories sent a letter of offer to Lt. Gen. Yar Pyae, the chairman of the National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC), to hold an informal meeting with the military regime.
The letter states that an initial informal meeting with a few representatives from each side will begin quietly in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on December 12.
Representatives from both sides will meet informally in Taunggyi or Mawlamyine from December 15 to 17 to discuss their respective points of view.
Also, on December 20 and 21, formal discussions will be held in Yangon, and common agreements that can be accepted by both parties will be officially signed at a suitable place and time.
Colonel Saw Kyaw Nyunt said that although the Military Council had acknowledged the offer, the NSPNC was not ready to meet informally with the EAOs due to the current political situation.
According to the offer letter, the seven NCA-signatories have suggested meeting to develop agreements with shared values that both parties can accept in order to establish a sustainable peace.
Col. Saw Kyaw Nyunt, spokesperson for the seven NCA-signatories, said that the offer to hold an informal meeting was an attempt to obtain a framework for holding political talks with all the parties concerned.
Among the seven EAOs attempting to hold informal talks with the Military Council are the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC), the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO) and the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS).
Those seven EAOs attended two peace talks invited by coup leader General Min Aung Hlaing.
News-Than Lwin Times
