The Union Peace and Dialogue Joint Committee – representing the government, political parties and the eight signatories – is due to start a final round of discussions in the capital today on the framework. Under the tough deadlines set out in the nationwide ceasefire agreement, the framework is to be agreed by today, and the actual dialogue is to start 30 days later.

The main hope of the non-signatories, mainly based in Shan and Kachin States, is that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s incoming government will give them a full seat at the negotiating table.

Ethnic armed groups believe Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will allow the three excluded factions to become part of the agreement, said U Khun Okkar, chair of the PNLO. They also think the peace process will move faster under an NLD government than the current regime.