Though the government refuses to recognise or allow certain ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) the EAOs participating in NCA talks have unanimously agreed that all the EAOs must sign the NCA.
At a high-level meeting between President Thein Sein, government ministers and top EAO leaders held at Myanmar International Convention Center (2) on 9 September the NMSP Chairman Nai Htaw Mon said: "There is no plan for the EAOs to abandon their stance that all ethnic armed groups should be involved in signing the NCA. The government side should sympathize with this. This is because it is not good for the omitted groups if they cannot join the NCA signing. I would like to push to implement this matter based on the opportunities that arose in this meeting,”
The EAOs the government will not allow to sign the NCA are: the Myanmar National Democracy Alliance Army or Kokang Group (MNDAA), the Arakan Army (AA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), the Wa National Organization (WNO), and the Arakan National Council (ANC).
Gen. N’Ban La, the Vice-Chairman of the Kachin Independent Organization (KIO) said: "Only if all [EAOs] participate [in signing the NCA], can there be complete union and peace for the people of Burma. So, instead of [the government] approaching individual groups, all groups should be included in the negotiations."
NMSP Chairman Nai Htaw Mon
According to Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win, a member of the ethnic Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) who was present at the 9 September meeting, the EAO leaders and the senior government representatives reached an agreement that the WNO, the LDU and the ANC would be allowed to participate in the political dialogue that will follow the signing of the ceasefire and the government will talk separately to the MNDAA.
The government will not allow the AA or the TNLA to sign the NCA, but it will sign bilateral ceasefires with each group and then allow them to participate in the political dialogue.
In August representatives from the government and the EAOs met up and decided on a draft text for the NCA. However, the one point of the draft NCA that both sides cannot agree on is which EAO groups should sign the NCA.
Reported by Chit Min Htun
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
