Myanmar makes major progress in nationwide ceasefire talks

Myanmar has made important progress in the just-ended fifth round of nationwide ceasefire talks between the government and the ethnic armed groups, overcoming conflicts to reach many consensus and moving towards the finalization of a draft nationwide ceasefire accord.

As revealed by a statement of the government's Union Peace Making Work Committee (UPWC) and the ethnic armed groups' National Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), the two sides agreed to continue talks in September on some remaining five points of the draft ceasefire accord.

It is expected that the accord could be signed in October.

During the three-day ceasefire talks at the Myanmar Peace Center from Friday to Sunday, the government side made a major concession complying with ethnic armed groups' demand for building a federal system of government guaranteeing the rights of democracy, nationalities equality and self-determination.

The armed groups side also agreed to the government's consistent principles of non-disintegration of the union, non- disintegration of national solidarity and perpetuation of sovereignty.

The five remaining points to be discussed in the next talks in September, believed to be the final, include truce affairs, guarantee of political dialogue, the working process during the negotiation period and some general issues.

UPWC Vice Chairman U Aung Min, who is minister at the President 's Office, highlighted at the opening of the talks on Friday that Myanmar's peace process has entered into an important phase and such ceasefire agreement has never emerged in the country's history.

"What we make the efforts are not only for the signing of the ceasefire agreement but also for laying down a firm basis for further political dialogue," he said.

U Aung Min cited a new directive issued by UPWC Chairman and President U Thein Sein as saying that in the future political talks, any other matters can be discussed except for "secession from the union" and "undermining of the sovereignty".

Following the three-day talks, a trilateral meeting between the UPWC, NCCT and political parties is expected to be held for the first time in Yangon late on Monday for exchange of views on the peace process.

The UPWC and leaders of the ethnic armed groups met in Myitgyina, Kachin state's capital, for the very first time in November 2013 for nationwide ceasefire talks and after that the UPWC also met NCCT on a number of occasions for working out the draft nationwide ceasefire agreement.

In the course of nationwide ceasefire talks, leaders of the ethnic armed groups had also held their own summits for three times.

Ethnic armed groups began to emerge in Myanmar in the 1950s. Since the current government took office in March 2011, it has vigorously pushed the process of national reconciliation, having realized ceasefire with 14 out of the 16 ethnic armed groups.