Coordinating Meeting Between NCCT and UPWC, Dec 2014

 A KNU team led by Karen National Union General Secretary P’doh Saw Kwe Htoo Win left from the KNU Headquarters on 20 December for Rangoon. The team included Central Executive Committee Member P’doh Saw Tah Doh Moo and Saw Eh Htoo, personal secretary of the KNU General Secretary. The team joined the NCCT delegation in Rangoon to participate in the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordinating Team (NCCT) and Union Peacemaking Working Committee (UPWC) coordinating meeting of the draft Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).

The team arrived in Rangoon in the late evening of the 20 December. Before the coordinating meeting with UPWC on 22 December, the team together with some members of (NCCT) celebrated the Karen New Year at the Karen Mission Compound at Ahlone Kyimyindaing of Saung Chaung Township on the 21 December. After that, some of the NCCT and the KNU team continued to Bago to participated in the Karen New Year's celebration at Bago City Hall. Bago Regional government and several Karen representatives from the Bago Regional area also attended the celebration.

The coordination meeting was held on 22 - 23 December 2014 at MPC, Rangoon. From the UPWC side, the Vice-Chair of UPWC and Chief Negotiator Minister U Aung Min led the delegation. From the NCCT side, Deputy Leader 1 of NCCT P’doh Saw Kwe Htoo Win led the delegation. During the meeting the NCCT and UPWC teams discussed the remaining points in the NCA that needed to be agreed on in the Single Text document. Discussions centered on requesting to have work committees meetings between UPWC and NCCT’s technical teams on the Ceasefire Code of Conduct, Joint-Monitoring and Military related issues, and on the issues of proposing observers to be present at the 7^th Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement meeting, as well as, seeking ways to set mechanisms between the parties as to prevent incidents like Laiza that occurred on 19 November 2014 so that this would not happen again.

NCCT proposed a meeting between the organisations that lost cadets in the Laiza cadet school attack, and UPWC in Myitkyina, Kachin State. The next UPWC and NCCT meeting is proposed in Rangoon around the 15 January 2015. In addition, NCCT proposed that at least three members of the Peace Donor Support Groups (PDSG), other than UN and China as agreed, be presented at the 7^th NCA meeting.

The NCCT delegation also met with the 88 Generation on the evening of the 21 December at Green Hill hotel. In the meeting both sides shared their views on the political and peace processes. Both sides also agreed that they would meet regularly and share their views in line with political development.

This NCCT delegation met with youth leaders on the evening of 23 December at Green Hill Hotel from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. Many of the youth have shown their proactive interest in the peace process and requested that whenever possible to keep them updated regarding peace process.

This NCCT and UPWC coordinating meeting was a follow up from the last meeting that stalled in September 2014. After the meeting P’doh Saw Kwe Htoo Win stated to the media his hope that if possible, the ceremony for the signing of Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) will be held on the Union Day, 12 February 2015.