No date has yet been set for when the president, the army commander-in -chief and top leaders from ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) will meet in Naypyidaw to discuss the signing of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA).
Nai Hong Sar, the vice-chairman of the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and a member of the EAOs Senior Delegation (SD) negotiating team said: "We will negotiate with the other side [the government] as early as possible about meeting next month. There is no possibility to meet on 28 August."
Three leaders of the SD will also be attending the meeting. These are: Pado Naw Zipporah Sein, the SD leader; Dr. La Ja, SD deputy leader one; and Pu Zing Cung, SD deputy leader two.
At the recent EAO Summit held in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand from 21 to 24 August Nai Hong Sar told reporters: “If everything is okay, the date will be set to sign the [NCA]. If what has been exchanged between the two sides is not okay, everything will turn out like the past.”
At present the government has only invited 15 EAOs to sign the NCA and it is refusing to allow six other EAOs to sign the NCA. These are: the Ta’Ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democracy Alliance Army (The MNDAA also known as the Kokang group), the Arakan Army (AA), the Wa National Organization (WNO), the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU) and the Arakan National Council (ANC).
At the 21 to 24 August EAO summit in Chiang Mai General Mutu Say Poe, the KNU and summit chairman, announced that the EAOs would be working towards having all EAOs sign the NCA.
He said that though the government and the EAOs agreed on 32 out of the 33 points in the NCA text the government's stance of not allowing six of the EAOs to sign the NCA was delaying the process.
Reporter Min Thu Tha for IMNA
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
