Ceasefire negotiators target Union Day signing

Ceasefire negotiators target Union Day signing

By Ei Ei Toe Lwin   |   Wednesday, 24 December 2014

Peace negotiators say they expect to sign a controversial nationwide ceasefire agreement on February 12, 2015, following two days of negotiations in Yangon last week.

The signing date is far from certain, however, as a number of key figures on both sides were absent from last week's meeting. A further round of negotiations is planned for mid-January, the delegations said at the conclusion of the meeting.

The proposed date is highly symbolic, however, as it marks the 68th anniversary of the singing of the Panglong Agreement between General Aung San and ethnic minority leaders. The anniversary is marked each year as Union day.

The announcement came after representatives of the Union Peace-making Work Committee (UPWC) and the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), which is negotiating on behalf of 16 armed ethnic groups, held talks at the Myanmar Peace Center on December 22 and 23.

The talks were given added urgency because of concerns that the peace process could be disrupted by political campaigning in the lead-up to next year's election if not completed in the first half of next year.

But Minister for the President's Office U Aung Min, who led the government delegation, said the elections were not the only potential distraction next year.

"We have a number of priority issues that we need to take of next year, including the elections, so let's conclude the [nationwide ceasefire agreement]," he said at the opening of the meeting. "I think we have enough consensus to move to the next step, which is political dialogue."

Negotiators focused on the 16 as-yet unfinalised points in the draft ceasefire, which, if signed, would pave the way for political dialogue and ultimately an end to Myanmar's ethnic conflicts.

They also discussed the recent Tatmadaw artillery attack on a Kachin Independence Army military academy near its Laiza headquarters that left 23 people dead, as well as a number of other issues raised by the NCCT.

Both sides said they reached agreement on most outstanding sections of the ceasefire but would need confirmation from their respective leaders before holding the signing ceremony.

"We have reached agreement on almost of all points. We both expect to sign the agreement on Union Day," NCCT delegation leader Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win told reporters after the talks. "If we could sign it that day it would be a historic day of our country. Both sides are trying to achieve that."

He said that after consulting with their respective leaders the negotiators would head back to the table in January to finalise the ceasefire.

"I hope the agreements we have got will be approved at the next talks," Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win said.

Under the terms of the agreement, the two sides will have 60 days to finalise the framework for political dialogue, and dialogue must begin within 90 days. If the agreement is signed on Union Day, political dialogue would likely begin in May.

U Hla Maung Shwe from the Myanmar Peace Center said it was important talks begin as soon as possible. "We need to speed up the peace process to hold political dialogue," he said.

The NCCT also proposed the holding of a meeting with representatives from the Tatmadaw and armed ethnic groups in the Kachin State capital Myitkyina prior to the next round of talks.

Ethnic leaders said the meeting is needed to help prevent further outbreaks of fighting like the November 19 attack on the KIA military academy. The government said it would reply to the NCCT request in early January.

http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/ceasefire-negotiators-target-union-day-signing/