NCCT and UPWC - Single Text NCA Negotiations Historical meeting between EAOs and the Burmese Government

The Ethnic Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) and the government’s Union Peace-Making Working Committee (UPWC) successfully completed another round of ceasefire talks from April 5-8, 2014 at Myanmar Peace Centre, Rangoon. This is the first time all-ethnic armed resistance organisations met together since U Thein Sein government took power in 2011.

Ethnic representatives both NCCT members and non-members including Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), United Wa State Army (UWSA), Mongla group (NDAA), Naga group (NSCN-K) and the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF). KNU representatives were P’doh Saw Kwe Htoo Win (KNU General Secretary and Leader of Single Text Drafting Team of NCCT) and P’doh Saw Tah Doh Moo (KNU CEC Member and Technical Team Leader).

The first day started with opening speeches from UPWC Vice-Chairmans U Aung Min and U Thein Zaw, Commander of BSO-4, UPCC and NDSC Member Lt General Thet Naing Win, NCCT leader Nai Hongsar Bon Khine, Deputy Leaders of NCCT P’doh Saw Kwe Htoo Win and General Gun Maw. Later that day the 5 non-NCCT members presented their perspective on the nationwide ceasefire and political dialogue. Both NCCT and UPWC presented their Single Text Draft documents before they agreed to merge them together and review them in detail.

During the second, third and fourth days both parties discussed the 7 chapters of the document and at the end of the meeting, they were able to jointly write a first draft of the nationwide ceasefire agreement. The objective of the meeting was to get consensus on the nationwide ceasefire document as close as possible while the wording and contents that still need to be negotiated further were left for the next meeting.

P’doh Saw Kwe Htoo Win who led the negotiation talks said, “The meeting went very well and both parties were able to freely exchanging their differences. Both parties will go back and discuss this document with their respective organizations and amend them if needed”. He added, “Now the real negotiations are underway, both sides face difficulties and challenges. But if we truly recognize our differences, true history that happened and try to find common ground, I think we will be able to move forward”.

The two parties are planning to meet again in early May but a final date for this meeting has not been confirmed.