Nay Pyi Taw, January (7)
The National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC) held talks with three ethnic armed groups that did not sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) to discuss the issues of amending the basic articles of the Constitution (2008) in building a union based on democracy and the federal system, reported the military council on January 5.
The non-NCA signatories—the United Wa State Party-UWSP, the National Democratic Alliance Army-NDAA and the Shan State Progress Party-SSPP—have held talks with the State Peace Talks Team in Nay Pyi Taw since January 5.
Both sides negotiated the agenda and topics to be covered at the meeting and they made a discussion about the political needs of the groups and matters that remained to be discussed at the third meeting, according to the agreements from the second meeting, the military council reported.
According to Lt. Col. Sai Su, a spokesman for the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), there is still one day remaining in the peace negotiations, and only drafts have been reviewed; no decisions have been made.
He added, “We want to develop federalism first and then go to democracy. But the military coucil wants to go federal only after democratization.So there are a few differences between us”.
Lt. Col. Sai Su said, “during the two-day discussion, the two sides exchanged views on each group’s ability to implement regional development, health, and education, among other topics, which were covered in the second discussion”.
The United Wa State Party-UWSP attended the peace talks invited by the military leader for the first time in late May last year.
Similarly, the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA/Mongla) attended the military council’s peace talks in the first week of June and the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) in the first week of August.
The representatives of the three non-signatories met with the military leader General Min Aung Hlaing for the second time on September 26 last year, and the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) presented the formation of Burma State, the amendment of the constitution, and the building of a federal democratic union.
According to SSPP Spokesperson Lt. Col. Sai Su, the military leader rejected the proposal for the formation of Burma state.
The seven NCA-signatories and three non-NCA signatories attended the military council’s peace talks two times by late September, and the five NCA-signatories attended the third meeting in late December.
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