The week-long Laiza conference of the 18 armed organizations that concluded on 31 July had proposed Japan and Norway be invited as signatory witnesses to the planned nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) signing, according to sources returning from the Sino-Burmese border.

The Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), set up by the first Laiza conference in November, had already proposed 7 other dignitaries and nations as witnesses:

·       Secretary General, United Nations

·       Secretary General, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)

·       United States

·       People’s Republic of China

·       India

·       Thailand

·       United Kingdom

Nine other resolutions passed by the Laiza conference includes:

·       To firmly adhere to the principle of forging a genuine federal union system based on constituent states that fully enjoy democracy, racial  equality and right of self determination

·       Subject to acceptance by the government of Resolution # 1, the word “revolutionary” will be deleted from the title of the agreement

·       To adopt the title “Union Peace Conference” for the planned national conference

·       The Three Causes (ie. Non-disintegration of the Union, Non-disintegration of National Solidarity and Perpetuation of National Sovereignty) as proposed by the government will be designated a subject to be discussed in the planned political dialogue

·        The planned political dialogue will be participated by the government, ethnic armed organizations and registered political parties including “appropriate democratic forces”

·     “National level” political dialogue will be replaced with “national level and multinational level” political dialogue

·       “Transitional arrangements” will be part of the NCA

·   The NCCT is empowered to amend the NCA draft without prejudice to the basic political to the basic political principles laid down by the Law Khee Lar conference (In January 2014)

·       Signatory organizations must meet the requirements as set out by the Law Khee Lar conference: being signatories to the Laiza conference resolutions, having concluded ceasefire with the government, possessing the required attributes of an ethnic armed group, not being an armed group under the control of the government and its military and not being an organization fighting against a foreign government

“Both sides still harbor deep suspicions against each other,” Nai Hong Sa, leader of the NCCT was quoted in his report to the conference. “Each side is concerned the other side will take advantage of the ceasefire agreement to expand and build up its own forces.”

A pre-meeting has been held between the NCCT and the government’s Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC) in Myitkyina, 3 August, prior to the next meeting that has been tentatively proposed between 15-20 August, according to a source.

According to VOA, both sides have expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the pre-meeting. There are still 3 sticky points that need further deliberation, reports Kamayut Media, quoting the UPWC’s special adviser U Hla Maung Shwe. Meanwhile, The Irrawaddy has pointed out that one of them could be the eligibility of some armed groups to be accepted as NCA signatories. The Wa National Organization (WNO), for instance, is not recognized by the government. Eleven adds that both sides believe the draft could be 95% or fully finalized during the upcoming meeting.

17 August is the 3^rd anniversary of the President’s invitation to all the armed opposition movements for peace talks.