YANGON-The signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) are going to persuade the ethnic armed groups yet to sign on to come onboard the NCA.
The information came from Naing Aung Ma Ngae, Central Committee member of the New Mon State Party (NMSP) who said at the press conference after holding the preliminary meeting at the National Reconciliation and Peace Center in Yangon on December 22nd aiming to hold the Joint Ceasefire Implementation Committee Meeting- JICM.
He also said that there were no enough 10 ethnic armed groups for the NCA. So, it was important for NCA non-signatories to participate in the NCA.
He didn’t clearly say the implementation of the persuasion plan but the Peace Process Steering Team-PPST which comprises 10 NCA signatories will lay down the activities.
“The government is carrying out the NCA signing activities for the remaining NCA non-signatories. We had explained about the activities at the meetings with the ethnic armed organizations (EAOs). We accepted their[EAOs]comments. Reciprocally, we didn’t exclude the NCA non-signatories and then we are carrying out the participation in the NCA signing activities for NCA non-signatories,” said Hla Maung Shwe of the government’s representative.
He also said that informal meetings for signing the Bilateral Agreement between government and Northern Alliance Group, which comprises four ethnic armed groups, was held in Kunming, China, in recent days.
The 10 armed groups that had signed NCA are the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front, Arakan Liberation Party, Chin National Front, Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, the KNU, Karen National Liberation Army Peace Council, the Pa-O National Liberation Organization, the Restoration Council of Shan State, New Mon State Party and Lahu Democratic Union.
The NCA non-signatories are Wa United State Army, Kachin Independence Organization, National Democratic Alliance Army, Shan State Progressive Party, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Ta’aung National Liberation Army, Arakan Army, and Karenni National Progressive Party.
