An eight-point agreement was reached at the 8th Joint-Ceasefire Implementation Coordinating Meeting (JICM) at the National Reconciliation and Peace Centre (NRPC) in Nay Pyi Taw on January 8.
U Zaw Htay, Director-General of the State Counsellor Office said: “We reached an agreement on the implementation of Chapter-3,4 and 6 of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), seeking the framework agreement between the government and the EAOs on the implementation of NCA, step-by-step implementation of peace processes beyond 2020 and the signing of agreement as the third part of Union Accord.”
“The next point is to hold the 21st Century Panglong Conference during the first four months of 2020. Leaders laid down a plan to define the terms included in the NCA by forming the working group. Another point is the efforts for the inclusion of non-NCA signatories in the peace process. The last one is we agreed to call the meetings of the UPDJC and the JMC within two months after the 8th JUCM, said U Zaw Htay, Director-General of the State Counsellor Office.
The NRPC and the Peace Commission formed by the government are working on the inclusion of non-NCA signatories in the peace process. At the same time, the EAOs are making coordination and discussions with non-NCA signatories, U Zaw Htay added.
“To be frank, we have a plan to meet soon. We had meetings in the previous month. Especially, we had a frank discussion over the ongoing fighting with four northern alliance group. We need to reach a ceasefire agreement in order to rapidly reduce the current tensions. We are trying to achieve it. We hold both formal and informal discussions. After that, we plan to meet again. We are making constant efforts for it,” he continued.
Colonel Sai Ngin from the RCSS/SSA said: “The ten NCA signatories are trying to create a landscape for the inclusion of all armed groups in the peace process. As the RCSS’s chair said, the process will not achieve success only with ten groups. I brought the voices of brothers to the meeting as much as I can. The government on its part is making efforts for it while the EAOs will submit their landscape. The inclusion of them in the peace process depends on their decision. We are making collaborative efforts.”
