Myanmar government, rebels aim to finalise ceasefire agreement
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Yangon (dpa) - Myanmar President Thein Sein and leaders of ethnic armed groups will try to iron out final details of a long-awaited ceasefire next week, officials said Monday.
The talks had hit an impasse over the number of ethnic groups to be included in the pact.
The government wants it to cover 15 groups, excluding six that are still fighting against the military in the eastern state of Shan.
Rebel negotiators are demanding inclusion of at least 17 groups.
Thein Sein is hoping to seal a deal before his term ends. New elections are scheduled for November.
He said he wants the next government to be able to start with the political dialogue necessary to end decades of civil war.
Myanmar is composed of a patchwork of ethnic groups that have had constant tensions with the Burmese-dominated nation state that arose after independence from Britain in 1948.The Karen National Union on Sunday became the first group to publicly commit to signing the ceasefire agreement.
