Myanmar gov't, ethnic armed groups continue peace negotiation in Yangon

Peace negotiation between the government's Peace-Making Work Committee (PMWC) and ethnic armed groups' National Cease-fire Coordination Team (NCCT) continued in Yangon, with the two sides coordinating stances on 45 sticking points left to be agreed upon after previous talks, local media reported Thursday.

The two-day talks, which began on Wednesday, is being attended by the government's PMWC, led by its vice-chairman U Aung Min, while the NCCT is headed by Pado Saw Kwe Htoo Win.

The government side is trying its best in give-and-take, while the ethnic groups are also doing so by cooperating, the sources said.

Out of a total of 122 points raised by the two sides, 77 points had been agreed in the previous talks.

The government's PMWC and the ethnic groups' NCCT last met in Yangon in early April for ceasefire talks, working out the first draft nationwide ceasefire agreement to be presented for further discussion in details in the present May talks which is expected to produce the second draft nationwide ceasefire agreement.

Meanwhile, a renewed separate peace talks between the government and the ethnic Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) in Myitgyina, the capital of the Kachin state, on May 13 agreed to set up a conflict mediation team as part of the first phase of implementing the joint monitoring mechanism agreed in October 2013.