Ethnic armed group leaders say another possible “summit” meeting of groups that have not signed the Myanmar National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) may be held in the coming weeks.
Armed ethnic group leaders who have signed the ceasefire agreement with the government met in a fourth informal meeting with leaders of the non-signatory armed groups in Chiang Mai on March 27.
Observers are cautiously watching the ceasefire negotiations in the coming year in hope that the newly formed democratic government will be able to include most – if not all – of the holdout armed ethnic groups as signatories in the National Ceasefire Agreement.
The leaders said a joint meeting of ethnic groups may take place sometime following Thingyan celebrations in mid-April, according to the Burma News International website.
During the recent meeting, Khaing Soe Naing Aung of the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) and Pado Saw Kwe Htoo Win of the Karen National Union (KNU) led the contingent of armed groups that had signed the NCA.
Khoo Oo Reh of the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) led the non-NCA signatory delegation.
“We only exchanged our views. Both sides want to meet [again] as soon as possible,” said Khoo Oo Reh of the non-NCA signatory group.
A NCA signatory delegation leader, Khaing Soe Naing Aung,said he remained hopeful that other groups would sign the government’s ceasefire agreement.
“They intend to sign it [sometime] during the administration of the new government. We only need the view of the NLD government,” he said.
While the meeting in Chiang Mai was held last month, the United Wa State Army, Burma's largest armed ethnic group, also hosted a conference in their capital in Panghsang of ethnic armed groups that had not signed the NCA.
The groups included the KIO, the Myanmar National Democratic Aliance Army as well as the Kokang group known as the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army.
