Ethnic Armed Organizations Summit to Include NCA Signatory and Non-Signatory Groups Schedules for November

Ethnic Armed Organizations Summit to Include NCA Signatory and Non-Signatory Groups Schedules for November

The all-inclusive meeting is tentatively scheduled for November and will include discussions on political deadlock and the peace process.

By NETWORK MEDIA GROUP (NMG)

Friday, October 19, 2018

A meeting of ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) both signatory and non-signatory to Burma’s Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) will take place in November, according to Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO) patron Col Khun Okkar.

“Our preparation is underway. It’s difficult to sign a Union agreement (Union accord) without meeting among ourselves. A Union agreement is the matter of the whole Union. Therefore, all-inclusivity is better in practice. We are going to meet in mid-November,” Col Khun Okkar told NMG.

The meeting could take place in Kunming, in China’s Yunnan Province, or in Pang Hsang, in the Wa self-administered region.

In order for the peace process to move forward, Khun Okkar said that it must include non-signatory EAOs.

“If we sign the Union agreement without their opinion or we decide on matters related to a future Union, we cannot stop arguments or conflict in the future. We must get a political agreement before we make a decision. That’s why we decided to hold an all-inclusive meeting,” he said.

All participating EAOs will discuss the current political deadlock and share their respective ideas in the all-inclusive meeting.

“How do we implement the current peace process—are we going on the NCA path? If we are going on the NCA path, how do we add an appendix to the current NCA and how should it be arranged? They will propose those issues in the coming meeting,” Col. Khun Okkar added. “It’s important to get the agreement of northern armed organizations before we make political decisions.”

In this month’s informal summit in Naypyidaw, NCA signatory EAO leaders requested assistance from the government for non-signatory EAOs including for travel and border crossing in order to attend the meeting.

The signatory armed groups are the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front, Arakan Liberation Party, Chin National Front, Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, Karen National Union, Karen National Liberation Army – Peace Council, Lahu Democratic Union, New Mon State Party, Pa-O National Liberation Organization, and the Restoration Council of Shan State.

Non-NCA EAOs belong to alliance groups such as the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) and the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC).

FPNCC members include the United Wa State Party, Kachin Independence Organization, Shan State Progress Party, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, National Democratic Alliance Army, Ta’ang National Liberation Army, and the Arakan Army.

Non-signatory UNFC members include the Karenni National Progressive Party and Arakan National Council. Another non-NCA group is the National Socialist Council of Nagaland – Kaplan.