Myanmar to invite UN chief to witness ceasefire agreement with rebels

The Myanmar government will invite United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, among eminent persons at home and abroad, to witness the signing of a nationwide ceasefire agreement with domestic armed ethnic groups, official media reported Thursday.

The government hopes to bring about eternal peace through the ceasefire agreements with no U-turn, Minister at the President's Office U Aung Min was quoted as saying, adding directives had already been given to settle internal displaced persons (IDP) in respective areas.

U Aung Min, who is also vice chairman of the government's Central Peace Making Work Committee, led a delegation in peace talks with the Kayinni National Progressive Party (KNPP) for the second time in Loikaw, Kayah state Wednesday.

The KNPP side was headed by its Vice Chairman U Khu Yal.

The talks focused on formation of joint monitoring group and technical teams for ensuring sustainable peace process, cooperation in drug elimination, resettlement of IDPs, regional development and administration.

In their first peace talks in Loikaw in June last year, the government agreed toKNPP's 20-point demand including stopping armed attack and striving for regional development.

KNPP had once ceasefired with the government in 1995 but the truce was broken three months after the signing.

Under President U Thein Sein's peace offer to internal armed groups in August 2011, peace making has been carried out in three phases -- the first phase is to ceasefire, set up liaison offices and travel without holding arms to each other's territory, the second phase includes confidence building, holding political dialogue and implementing regional development tasks in terms of education, health and communication, and the third phase is to sign agreement for eternal peace in the presence of the parliament represented by nationalities, political parties and different walks of life.

The government claimed that so far, 10 out of 11 armed ethnic groups have signedpreliminary peace pacts with the government at state or central levels since U Thein Sein announced the peace offer in August 2011.

Civil war has plagued parts of the country since it won independence from Britain in 1948.