Govt NRPC Invites Non-NCA EAOs to Meet
A Naypyidaw meeting has been proposed between delegations from the government, military, and EAOs not signatory to the NCA.
By NETWORK MEDIA GROUP (NMG)
Saturday, March 16, 2019
A delegation from the Burmese government’s National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) has asked to meet with representatives of ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) not signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on March 21 in Naypyidaw.
Those invited are members of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee, including the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the Arakan Army (AA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA), the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), and the United Wa State Army (UWSA).
The Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), which belongs to the United Nationalities Federal Council, is also invited.
The Burmese military’s negotiation team will also meet the EAOs on March 22. According to the NRPC’s invitation letter, the Tatmadaw will meet each EAO separately, rather than as one large delegation. Each EAO that wishes to participate must inform the military ahead of time.
Two representatives from each EAO—one leader and one member—have been invited to attend the NRPC meeting.
Members of the KNPP will meet informally with the NRPC in Yangon on March 18, KNPP secretary (1) Khu Plu Reh told NMG.
“We are going to meet the NRPC and the Tatmadaw’s negotiation team in an informal meeting. Our representatives are preparing to attend the informal meeting in Yangon, and after that, they will also attend the official meeting in Naypyidaw,” he explained.
Khu Plu Reh said that the KNPP’s peace negotiation committee will be led by vice-chairman Khu Oo Reh, and the organization’s priority is to discuss the implementation of state- and Union-level ceasefire agreements and issues concerning the NCA.
The KIO’s Col Naw Bu told NMG that it had not yet been decided if the organization would attend the Naypyidaw meeting, or who would go.
“Our central committee members will have a meeting and decide whether they are going to attend or not. I haven’t heard anything about it,” he said.
A similar message came from the TNLA’s Maj Mai Aik Kyaw, in charge of the organization’s information department. Confirmation about the group’s attendance at the meeting could only come after leaders have held a discussion, he said.
NMG tried to establish contact with the AA, which is currently clashing with the Burma Army in Chin and Rakhine states, but was not able to obtain comment.
