High Expectations in Today's NCCT and UPWC Negotiation Talks

The Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) delegation led by Team Leader Nai Han Thar, Deputy Team Leader One P’doh Saw Kwe Htoo Win, and Deputy Team Leader Two General Gun Maw arrived in Rangoon on August 13, 2014 to hold another round of negotiation talks with Union Peace-Making Work Committee (UPWC). The negotiations started today August 15, 2014 at the Myanmar Peace Centre. The delegation includes 12 NCCT members, five Technical Advisory Members, and 18 support staffs. KNU representatives are P’doh Saw Kwe Htoo Win NCCT Deputy Team Leader One, P’doh Saw Tah Doh Moo, NCCT Technical Team Leader, Major Saw Hta Mla Thaw, KNU Technical Team Member, and Saw Nimrod, Support Staff.

The team held a final preparation meeting yesterday, August 14, from 9 am until 7 pm reviewing the drafted Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement and discussing plans for todays meeting.

Negotiation talks started today at 9 am with opening speeches from both sides, given by three senior leaders. In the opening speech from NCCT leader Nai Han Thar, he pointed out that progress has been achieved in the past three years since President U Thein Sein invited Ethnic Armed Organizations for ceasefire talks. At the same time he reminded both parties that there are still challenges ahead before achieving the nationwide ceasefire agreement. He laid down 7 important points that will be discussed in todays meeting and they are:

Principles of Federal Union
Framework for Political Dialogue
Interim Arrangement
Recognition and Approval of the Agreement
Parties included in the Agreement
Witness and their Signatures
Military Issues

With the renewed mandate approved from the NCCT Members' Summit in Laiza last month, NCCT hope to have open and frank talks that will achieve positive outcomes. After today meeting, NCCT leader Nai Han Thar told the press that the government agreed with the ethnic demand of building a federal union based on Democracy, Equality and Self-determination.

Negotiation talks will continue tomorrow with other points in the draft agreement.