The MPC stated the above, along with the agenda that will be implemented after the NCA inking, at the press conference held on September 11 at the MPC.
“We [MPC] do not say that the fighting will completely stop right after signing the NCA. The fighting will continue to take place. After signing the NCA, talks for negotiations and solutions for stopping the fighting must be held. So, we are urging them to sign the NCA first,” said U Hlaw Maung Shwe, a special advisor of the MPC.
On March 31, 2015, in the presence of the President, the NCA draft was signed between the representatives of both the Union Peace-making Working Committee (UPWC) and the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) at the MPC.
On August 7, the ninth round of discussions was held between the government’s UPWC and the NCCT’s Senior Delegation (SD), and during talks, the agreement for the NCA text was reached and finalized by both sides.
“It won’t be possible that fighting will stop right after the NCA is signed. The fighting continues to occur. This happens because each side does not recognize its territory. It [fighting] won’t take place if territories can be set. This can only be set after signing the NCA. The fighting will be ceased after negotiations are reached for how to solve and how set each territory,” said Dr. Min Zaw Oo, director of the MPC’s Ceasefire Negotiation and Implementation Program.
Although the NCA text is finalized and agreed between government and ethnic armed group top leaders, clashes between government troops and ethnic armed troops continue to take place across some ethnic areas including in northern Shan State, Kachin State and Arakan State.
Meanwhile, the MPC also stated that after signing the NCA, within a fortnight, the Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting (JICM) will be held, wherein the military sector and political sector will be discussed and implemented.
“After signing the NCA, within 14 days, we will begin invitations for the JICM. This is not the JICM of the government but both ethnic armed groups and government cooperatively involved at the JICM. Then, investigations starting from basic issues will be conducted and work to find out who will do that. This includes who is breaking the signed NCAA text. And, other projects will be also implemented,” said Dr. Min Zaw Oo.
According to the MPC, after the NCA inking, within 24 hours commanding officers from government and ethnic armed groups will be informed of the codes of military conduct, within 5 days commanding officers from both sides will be explained step by step of points in the NCA, within 14 days, the JICM will be held, and within 30 days, the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) will be founded to monitor military activities. Then, the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) will be established to hold political talks.
President U Thein Sein proposed September 29 to sign NCA, but the ethnic armed group top leaders instead proposed to ink it on October 15. However, the date for NCA inking will be again discussed, according to MPC.
