Myanmar’s military has stressed the need to continue peace talks as quickly as possible because the election has been successfully held and the Covid-19 outbreak under certain control, and the Peace Talks Committee of the Tatmadaw (Military) has been formed, according to a statement released by the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services on November 9.
The statement says the fourth session of the Union Peace Conference-21st Century Panglong was held from 19 to 21 August 2020. The past conferences including the most recent conference approved three parts of the Union Accord and 54 points of agreement. Although it was necessary to continue talks for these agreements and remaining facts involved in the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, it was designed to temporarily postpone the continuation of peace talks because of the outbreak of COVID-19 and the process of holding the 2020 multi-party democracy general election.
As the 2020 multi-party democracy general election has been successfully held, COVID-19 pandemic can be controlled to some degree, and achieving success of eternal peace is a must for the State, it is necessary to continue peace talks as quickly as possible with the armed organizations which are signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement and the ethnic armed organizations which are still holding talks to sign the NCA, the statement says.
Thus, the Peace Talks Committee of the Tatmadaw has been formed in order to continue talks with the ethnic armed organizations if necessary for successfully restoring the eternal peace till the end of the process, it says.
The committee is formed with Lieutenant-General Yar Pyae as chairman, Lieutenant-General Tun Tun Naung, Lieutenant-General Tin Maung Win and Lieutenant-General Min Naung as members and Lieutenant-General Aung Lin Dway as secretary.
The Peace Talks Committee of the Tatmadaw must continue talks with the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signatory ethnic armed organizations for further strengthening of peace in accord with the NCA, must continue peace talks with non-signatory ethnic armed organizations until they have signed the NCA and must hold necessary talks to accomplish the goal of restoring eternal peace, the statement says.
