Government, KIO to meet for preliminary union-level talks

The technical teams of the government and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) will have preliminary talks from September 16-17 in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State.

U Hla Maung Shwe, Advisor of the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) informed Mizzima on September 11, about the talks.

Lamai Guanja from the Kachin Peace Support Group also confirmed that the meeting will be held from September 16-17.

The meeting is a preliminary talk between the two parties' technical teams, prior to a Union-level meeting.

Lamai Guanja told Mizzima, "We will discuss agenda, issues, and topics, which can be raised, in the upcoming meeting."

He said that the outcome of the meeting will be forwarded to the union-level peace talk as an input. He added that he cannot speculate when and where the union level meeting will be held and what the agenda of the discussion would be.

Although, Vice Chairman of the Government Peace-Making Work Committee, U Aung Min, informed at a recent meeting in Chiang Mai the with Union Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), that the government will initiate nation-wide Ceasefire Accord by October, it has not reached a ceasefire agreement with the KIO yet.

The meeting will be the seventh one held between the KIO and the Government Peace-Making Work Committee, since the new administration took office.

The government peace team met the KIO twice in Mai Jayan of Kachin State, once in Thailand, twice in Ruili in China, and in Myitkyina, in March. The KIO opened its office for peace technical team at Myitkyina in July.

In spite of the meetings between the two parties, skirmishes between frontline troops were still reported until September 11.

http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/government-kio-to-meet-for-preliminary-union-level-talks/