Among the ethnic armed groups invited to attend the Union day celebrations in Naypyidaw on 12 February one Shan and three Karen groups signed a promise to pursue the peace process.
In a meeting aimed at improving peace and national reconciliation, held in Naypyidaw at 10am after the Union Day military parade, the RCSS/SSA, Karen National Union (KNU), Karen Peace Council (KPC), and Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA)’s leaders all signed an agreement suggested by President Thein Sein, where they promised to continue participating in the peace process.
Representatives of the government included: President U Thein Sein; vice presidents Sai Mauk Khan and U Nyan Tun; U Shwe Man the chairman of the Union parliament; the Shan State Minister and chairman of the Shan National Democratic Party (SNDP) Sai Aik Pong; committee members of the Union-Level Peace Working Committee (UPWC) and some ethnic ministers. They signed the agreement in the meeting held at the Myanmar Convention Center (2) in Naypyidaw.
A high-ranking officer from an ethnic armed group that did not sign the agreement said: “They said that they would keep it [the agreement] open so that they will be ready if any other groups want to sign it.”
However the meeting was not attended by the country’s two highest-ranking military officers, Army Chief Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and deputy army chief Lt. Sen. Gen Soe Win.
There are five points in the agreement that was signed. They are: to form a union as a result of political dialogue: to sign a nationwide ceasefire, to cooperate together to start political dialogue, to hold political dialogue before the 2015 elections, to refrain from fighting which could impact on the peace process.
Translated by Aung Myat Soe English version written by Mark Inkey for BNI
