Colonel Saw Kyaw Nyunt, a spokesperson for Peace Process Steering Committee (PPST), told Than Lwin Times that five ethnic armed groups that have signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) will attend the peace talks invited by the coup leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

On May 6, the PPST, a body formed by NCA-signatories’ EAOs, held a special meeting to meet with the military chief.

Colonel Saw Kyaw Nyunt said, “It is true that the five groups agreed to attend the peace talks at yesterday’s meeting. One of the remaining PPST members has yet to make a decision because the issue will be discussed at their central committee meeting. Another member stated that they would be unable to attend for a variety of reasons.”

The five ceasefire groups that will meet with the military leader are the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP); New Mon State Party (NMSP); Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA); KNU/KNLA Peace Council and Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO).

At a special meeting of the NCA-signatories, five points including the need for discussion amongst ethnic armed groups, seeking advice from the international community, and seeking understanding between divergent groups at home and abroad, will be discussed at the coup leader’s peace talk.

Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing said he wanted to meet with ethnic armed leaders to end the armed conflict and asked to submit the name of representatives that will attend the peace talks by May 9.

NCA-signatory CNF (Chin National Front), NCA non-signatory KIO (Kachin Independence Organization) and KNPP (Karen National Progressive Party) will not attend the regime leader’s invitation of peace talks.