The military council recently rejected an offer made by seven Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) which signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) to hold an informal talk, saying it is not ready.
On December 7, seven EAOs which signed the NCA sent a letter to the military council’s National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC) to hold an informal talk.
According to the letter, the NCA signatories offered to quietly hold a preliminary informal talk with a few delegates in Chiang Mai of Thailand on December 12. However, the military council replied that it was not ready to hold the meeting.
“Our informal talk coordination team is to coordinate time and venue agreeable to both our coordination team and the National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC). The EAOs have their own difficulties. The NSPNC replied that it is not ready to cooperate,” Col Saw Kyaw Nyunt, Spokesperson of the informal talk coordination team of seven NCA-S EAOs told the Shan News.
Seven NCA-S EAOs are the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC), the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO) and the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP).
The letter sent to Lt-Gen Yar Pyae, chair of the NSPNC leaked three days before the informal meeting between seven EAOs and the NSPNC.
The leaked letter described that the seven EAOs want to quietly hold informal talks with few delegates from both sides, in Chiang Mai of Thailand on December 12. The informal talks will be held in Taunggyi or Mawlamyine on December 15 and 16 with the delegates from both sides. The EAOs propose to hold formal talks in Yangon on December 20 and 21.
The informal talk coordination team of seven EAOs proposes to sign common agreements at the suitable times and venues agreeable to both sides.
“The NSPNC reciprocally recognizes the offer made by the EAOs according to the normal political landscape. However, the NSPNC is not ready to hold informal talks due to the current political situation,” Col Saw Saw Kyaw Nyunt adds.
“Currently, our country is facing difficulties which have been never experienced in the tenure of the successive governments. So, our goal will not be the same. However, we have the same goal to build union peace and federal union peace. The ways we are doing may be different under the irregular political landscape. I am not disappointed with that incident,” Col Saw Kyaw Nyunt continued.
In early December, the NCA signatories formed the informal talk coordination team to hold talks with the military council’s NSPNC.
At a meeting of the State Administration Council held in Nay Pyi Taw on August 22, the SAC chair said the EAOs which want to continue to hold arms after signing the NCA will be allowed to join the Myanmar army and turn themselves into the Border Guard Force (BGF).
Sent by Shan News