DPN Meets with State Counsellor

By Lun Min Mang / Myanmar Times | March 1, 2017

The Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) met with State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday to discuss the group’s terms for a nationwide ceasefire.

The DPN is the negotiating body of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), a coalition of seven armed groups that have not yet signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the government.

“We will discuss the nine points of proposal that UNFC has sent to negotiate with the government with the intention of having guarantees in place for a ceasefire on a nationwide scale, and for the different steps to having meaningful political dialogues,” said a statement issued by the coalition on February 28.

Two members of the UNFC – Karenni National Progressive Party and New Mon State Party – did not attend the meeting but submitted their perspectives in written papers.

The meeting came after seven armed ethnic groups that are non-signatories to the NCA held a summit in Pangkham, the stronghold capital of the United Wa State Army, last week.

The groups which attended the summit in Pangkham decided to find a new approach to peace talks, saying that the current NCA-based peace process is ineffective as it could not end fighting in ethnic states. They also formed a new body to negotiate peace talks with the government.

However, Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing appeared to have responded to developments in Pangkham this week by telling a meeting with US diplomats in Nay Pyi Taw that the Tatmadaw would not change its stance in the peace process.

The Tatmadaw chief said achieving peace was “difficult” in the absence of “real desire”.

Referring to the non-signatory armed ethnic groups, he said they should understand the position the military establishment is taking for the sake of a democratic transition.

“The other parties should understand and accept the democracy practice that calls for the performance of all activities on the multi-party democracy within the legal framework,” he was quoted as saying in the military-run Myawady daily newspaper.

In contradiction to the statement of non-signatory armed ethnic groups who met in Pangkham, the Senior General also stated that the Tatmadaw will stick to the NCA-based peace process.

“The Tatmadaw is working in accord with its adopted six peace principles. The NCA was signed after holding bilateral negotiations on the discussions and demands of the armed ethnic groups. Hence, the peaceful dialogue will be based on the agreement,” he was quoted as saying in the daily.

Khu Oo Reh, the leader of the DPN, last week reportedly said UNFC’s stance has not changed and the group will continue negotiations on the nine points of proposals.

In a military press conference yesterday in Nay Pyi Taw, Chief of the General Staff (Army, Navy and Air) General Mya Tun Oo told reporters that Tatmadaw leaders are confident that the peace initiative of State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would be successful.

He also said one could not talk of “political rights” unless the NCA is signed, and peace cannot be achieved through shortcut by means of arms.

All members of the UNFC have not signed the NCA with the government on the grounds that the government’s policy in signing the NCA was partial and excluded certain groups.

Members of UNFC attended the first batch of 21st Century Panglong Conference held at the end of August of last year.
Since before the first conference, UNFC’s DPN raised nine points of proposal to the government and called for negotiations to strengthen the ceasefire agreement.

Leaders of DPN have previously said the coalition’s members would sign the NCA once the government agrees to all the points in the proposal.

After yesterday’s meeting with State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Nay Pyi Taw, the DPN will hold talks to negotiate the proposals with the government’s peace commission in Yangon’s National Reconciliation and Peace Centre on March 3.