Thanks to you on both sides of the fence, the final Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) draft is now agreed by all on 7 August. The only question remains is whether there’ll be a signing of it.

The Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) plan is as follows, according to insider sources:

• Each EAO will hold meetings to consider the question
• They will then hold another summit to jointly reconsider it
• The top leaders of what are known collectively as the Big Five (Kachin Independence Organization, Karen National Union , Karenni National Progressive Party, New Mon State Party and Shan State Progress Party) are expected to meet the President and the Commander-in-Chief afterward

What will happen after the Big Seven meeting is of course still open to further questions— and arguments.
Some of which are:

Government ·       Signing before the end of August (C-in-C will be traveling abroad, Election campaigns begin in September) ·       Signing before elections ·       Three of the EAOs, (Arakan National Council, Wa National Organization, Lahu Democratic Union) haven’t exchanged fire with the Burma Army. No fire, so no ceasefire necessary ·       As for the other 3 (Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and Ta-ang National Liberation Army): AA is part of KIO, MNDAA guilty of “violation of sovereignty”, and TNLA needs to sign bilateral ceasefire first

EAOs  ·       We need time to hold a summit; it is not easy to organize one ·       Signing during the current government’s tenure. ·       They are our people ·       If the 3 are left behind the NCA will be meaningless. Government needs to show more magnanimity

Then there are questions and arguments from the government’s side too.

EAOs ·       President Thein Sein doesn’t deserve credit for the peace process ·       We don’t trust C-in-C Min Aung Hlaing ·       (Wa, Mong La) we don’t need to sign the NCA. We will only join the peace process after the NCA is signed. ·       We want to hold another summit before sending the Big Five to Naypyitaw ·       The Big Five want to meet the President and C-in-C

Government Who else is? Who then do you trust? ·       If you don’t, others will also use it as an excuse to skip the NCA ·       Since each EAO will have already met and decided whether to sign or not by that time, is another summit necessary? ·       Is there going to be the signing of NCA afterward?

Of course, there are more questions. But these should be enough for the present.