At the end of their four day summit in Chiang Mai on 24 August the ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) reaffirmed their stand that all EAOs must be allowed to sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).
The final draft of the NCA had been agreed upon at the latest round of negotiations held from 6 to 7 August
A source at the summit who requested anonymity said: “One of the 11 resolutions passed at the summit is that the EAOs will stand by their principle for all EAOs to sign the NCA while exploring ways and means to pragmatically implement it.”
According to another source at the summit the resolution appears to be a compromise between two groups. The hardliners who won’t sign unless all EAOs are allowed to sign by Naypyitaw and those who are willing to sign for their respective organizations whilst continuing to negotiate to obtain guarantees that the excluded EAOs will not be subject to Burma Army military offensives.
Another resolution says the “Big Five” who will travel to Naypyitaw to meet the President and the Commander-in-Chief at the earliest possible date will be:
- Gen N-Banla Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) Vice Chairman
- Gen Mutu Saypoe Karen National Union (KNU) Chairman
- Abel Tweed Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) Chairman
- Nai Htaw Mon New Mon State Party (NMSP) Chairman
- Lt-Gen Hso Ten Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) Patron
They will be accompanied by three Special Delegation (SD) leaders: Naw Zipporah Sein (KNU), Dr Laja (KIO) and Pu Zin Cung (CNF).
No date has yet been fixed for the meeting.
According to The Irrawaddy, the army commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing, met with the Interim Press Council (IPC) on 24 August. He was reported to have said that the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), better known as the Kokang; the Arakan Army (AA); the Ta-ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)’s 4th Brigade (which is active in Northern Shan State) must “abandon [their] arms.”
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
