Ethnic groups have a role to ensuring peace: KNU
The head of the Karen National Union (KNU) has said that ethnic organisations have a responsibility towards ensuring a durable peace process for the rest of the country to move forward.
General Saw Mutu Say Poe was speaking at the end of a three day meeting between members of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) in Laiza, Kachin State aimed at discussing a draft nation-wide ceasefire agreement.
"Local political forces and parties and those who want to amend the constitution are waiting for our peace process. As this meeting is essential for national reconciliation, we need to have good results to move forward," said General Mutu Say Poe.
The NCCT represents the interests of 16 ethnic armed groups and is currently in negotiations with the government's Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC) to try and forge a nation-wide ceasefire agreement as the first step towards reaching a durable peace.
The two sides have met eight times - four off the record and four official meetings - and have agreed on a second draft ceasefire deal. They will meet again to discuss the final stages of the ceasefire draft after the Laiza meeting.
The KNU chairman urged ethnic leaders to uphold their preliminary agreements between the government and each ethnic armed group, advising them to consider three choices to move forward with the peace process.
The first is to agree to the provisions included in the nation-wide ceasefire agreement. There are still various issues being discussed such as how to establish an independent and unbiased monitoring mechanism, and the military rules and regulations that both sides must follow to continue holding political discussions.
The second choice is including ethnic armed groups who have not signed an agreement with the government as this can threaten unity. The last choice is starting political discussions by holding ceasefire talks and working for establishing a political framework that must be followed by both sides at the same time.
"The important thing is not to block the political process. If we can start holding political discussions on parallel with ceasefire process in order to move forward with the process, it will be beneficial for all the respective persons who are involved, political parties, the public and social-based organisations," said General Mutu Say Poe.
He urged the leaders to give special consideration on how to carry out political reforms and overcome suspicions on both sides by creating trust-building mechanisms and following them together, he added.
