According to reports, the seven ethnic armed groups that have signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) and the ruling military council are scheduled to hold an informal meeting.
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PPST spokesperson Col. Saw Kyaw Nyunt told the Shan Herald that the meeting is scheduled for the last week of March and is intended to discuss unusual political situations and peace processes.
“This is not the only time we have offered to hold a bilateral meeting. We have been offering it since October 2022. Previously, we invited each group to discuss the peace talks. Now that our political and peace situation is facing difficulties and complications that have never existed before under any government, we intend to have peace talks and a political solution involving all organizations,” PPST spokesperson Colonel Saw Kyaw Nyunt told the Shan Herald.
Colonel Saw Kyaw Nyunt mentioned that an informal meeting with the Military Council has been scheduled for March 28-29. However, the specific time and location of the meeting have not yet been decided.
Furthermore, as a result of the military coup, the stakeholders involved in the peace process based on the NCA agreement have been disrupted and the peace talks have come to a halt. Therefore, a political solution should be sought through dialogue, according to PPST spokesperson Colonel Saw Kyaw Nyunt.
“The peace process is based on the NCA. After the military takeover in 2021, the government, parliament, and military are no longer perfect, and the peace that has been going along the path of the NCA has stopped since then. Therefore, the current political problems and conflicts should be resolved through dialogue involving all parties, not just individual groups,” said Colonel Saw Kyaw Nyunt.
Among the 7 ceasefire EAOs seeking a meeting with the National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC) of the Military Council are New Mon State Party (NMSP), Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army – Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC), Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), Pa-Oh National Liberation Organization (PNLO) and Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA).
Despite the military council’s announcement of a one-year ceasefire from January 1, 2023 to December 31, as part of the peace process, but in fact, fighting has persisted on the battlefield.
