Peace Process: Both sides ready to make “further compromise”
Peace Process: Both sides ready to make “further compromise”
Shan Herald, 09 Jul 2014
URL: http://www.english.panglong.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5869:peace-process-both-sides-ready-to-make-further-compromise&catid=85:p
Despite statements from the government-established Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) and the armed resistance movements’ Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) that there won’t be any Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signing on 1 August as planned earlier, both sides appear to be ready to offer more concessions during the next meeting, according to sources from the border and Rangoon.
“The three key issues identified by the NCCT are negotiable,” said an MPC official visiting Chiangmai on Monday, 7 July.
They are the government’s propositions that:
Issues that cannot be resolved by both sides will be handled by the 11 men Union Peacemaking Central Committee (UPCC), the equivalent of the country’s highest organ (according to the 2008 constitution) the 11 men National Defense and Security Council (NDSC)
The military Code of Conduct (COC) will be drafted after the signing of the NCA
Disarmament, Demobilization and Re-integration (DDR) of ethnic armed groups will be conducted before political settlement
The NCCT however counter-proposed that a joint highest organ be set up to arbitrate on disagreements between the two sides, the COC be signed together with the NCA and the DDR must come only after political settlement.
“We think the NCCT’s arguments are reasonable,” said an MPC official. “The problem in fact is not with positions but with the wordings.”
On the NCCT side, it has already made a major concession which is acceptance of the government’s core principles: Non-disintegration of the Union, Non-disintegration of national solidarity and Perpetuation of national sovereignty, according to a copy of the second draft seen by SHAN.
“We have also agreed at the NCCT’s review meeting (13-16 June) to drop some of the terms adopted earlier, for instance, ‘ethnic armed organizations’ (to ‘armed ethnic organizations’ as proposed by the UPWC), ‘A-pyit-yat’ (ceasefire) (to ‘pyit-khat-tike-khite-Hmu-yat-say’ literally ‘cease-fire and cease-attack’) and ‘revolution,’” said an NCCT official.
As for other words like “federal” and “Right of Self Determination”, it is up to the decisions of the Laiza Summit, the third conference of top leader of armed organizations, planned to be held on 24-26 July.
The MPC and the NCCT is due to meet informally next week to discuss how much further each side can go to finalize the draft.
The NCCT has already compiled a list of words with its own definitions to be presented to the UPWC for consideration and revision.
Meanwhile, both the political parties and civil society organizations are calling for speedy conclusion of the NCA negotiations.
“We have waited long enough to participate in the peace process,” one politician said at a meeting in Chiangmai on Monday.
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose,
By any other name would smell as sweet”
“The three key issues identified by the NCCT are negotiable,” said an MPC official visiting Chiangmai on Monday, 7 July.
They are the government’s propositions that:
Issues that cannot be resolved by both sides will be handled by the 11 men Union Peacemaking Central Committee (UPCC), the equivalent of the country’s highest organ (according to the 2008 constitution) the 11 men National Defense and Security Council (NDSC)
The military Code of Conduct (COC) will be drafted after the signing of the NCA
Disarmament, Demobilization and Re-integration (DDR) of ethnic armed groups will be conducted before political settlement
The NCCT however counter-proposed that a joint highest organ be set up to arbitrate on disagreements between the two sides, the COC be signed together with the NCA and the DDR must come only after political settlement.
“We think the NCCT’s arguments are reasonable,” said an MPC official. “The problem in fact is not with positions but with the wordings.”
On the NCCT side, it has already made a major concession which is acceptance of the government’s core principles: Non-disintegration of the Union, Non-disintegration of national solidarity and Perpetuation of national sovereignty, according to a copy of the second draft seen by SHAN.
“We have also agreed at the NCCT’s review meeting (13-16 June) to drop some of the terms adopted earlier, for instance, ‘ethnic armed organizations’ (to ‘armed ethnic organizations’ as proposed by the UPWC), ‘A-pyit-yat’ (ceasefire) (to ‘pyit-khat-tike-khite-Hmu-yat-say’ literally ‘cease-fire and cease-attack’) and ‘revolution,’” said an NCCT official.
As for other words like “federal” and “Right of Self Determination”, it is up to the decisions of the Laiza Summit, the third conference of top leader of armed organizations, planned to be held on 24-26 July.
The MPC and the NCCT is due to meet informally next week to discuss how much further each side can go to finalize the draft.
The NCCT has already compiled a list of words with its own definitions to be presented to the UPWC for consideration and revision.
Meanwhile, both the political parties and civil society organizations are calling for speedy conclusion of the NCA negotiations.
“We have waited long enough to participate in the peace process,” one politician said at a meeting in Chiangmai on Monday.
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose,
By any other name would smell as sweet”