The Myanmar government has invited eight ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) that did not sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) to participate in peace talks in Naypyitaw on March 21. The Myanmar government’s National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC), headed by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, sent letters on March 13 to the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) and each of the seven member EAOs of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC).
The FPNCC is a northern alliance of EAOs that has advocated for a federal democratic union that ensures minority ethnic groups a certain level of autonomy. It’s members include the United Wa State Party (UWSP), the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), Mongla’s Eastern Shan State Peace and Solidarity Committee (PSC), the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), Kokang’s Myanmar National Truth and Justice Party (MNTJP), the Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF), and the United League of Arakan (ULA).
The invitation letters asked for two representatives from each EAO and stated that the Tatmadaw’s negotiation team would meet the individual groups on March 22. Although the NRPC has invited FPNCC’s members individually, the FPNCC is planning to represent it’s seven members, according to U Nyi Ran, a communications official [of United Wa State Army] at the army’s office in Lashio, Shan State.
KNPP Secretary Khu Plu Rae confirmed the KNPP’s participation in the peace talks.
“We will have to wait and see what kind of result this meeting can bring about. If the result is good and individual groups can keep their groups, there will be less fighting.This is also directly related to the fighting in northern Rakhine State,” Colonel Khun Okkar, patron of Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), told the the Myanmar Times.
Thus far, the government has signed the NCA with the 10 ethnic armed groups: the Karen National Union (KNU), the Karen National Liberation Army/Peace Council (KNU-KNLA/PC), the Democratic Karen Benevolence Army (DKBA), the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), the Chin National Front (CNF), the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), the All Burma’s Students Democratic Front (ABSDF), the New Mon State Party (NMSP), and the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU).
