U Hla Maung Shwe, secretary of the 21st Century Panglong Conference Preparatory Sub-committee (2) said: “The issue for discussion is the organisation format and guideline for setting down decisions at the [peace conference]. According to the state counsellor, politics and security sector will be discussed at the conference. The rest will be sent to civil societies’ forum.”

The government delegation will meet with political parties on 11 August and representatives of ethnic armed groups on 12 August. Everyone will attend the last day of the meeting on 13 August.

The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) has been invited to attend, but U Tun Zaw, the joint secretary, said the ethnic armed group alliance still hasn’t made a decision.

The Peace Commission led by the government and the Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) under the UNFC recently met in Rangoon but specific details of what was discussed haven’t been publically disclosed.

The DPN is meeting today in the northern Thai city Chiang Mai to discuss security issues.

Dr Nai Shwe Thein, DPN member and head of foreign affairs department of the New Mon State Party, said: “A workshop is being held on SSR/DDR (Security Sector Reform)/Disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration," adding that they will also review what was discussed at the recent ethnic summit in Maijayang and whether or not to attend tomorrow's meeting in Rangoon and Union Peace Conference at the end of August.

Currently, the conditions set for full participation in the upcoming conference include only the 8 groups that signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA). Non NCA-signatories have been invited to attend but aren’t allowed to vote on decisions—even though they make up nearly two-thirds of the country’s armed groups.

Reporting by Aik Sai for MNA
Translated by Thida Linn
Edited by BNI staff