The Union Peace Working Committee (UPWC) and United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) will hold a preliminary consultative meeting tomorrow, according to Nai Hongsa,UNFC general secretary. The UNFC is a network of 12 ethnic armed groups.
This meeting on the Thai-Burma border will confirm the agenda for upcoming political discussions when both groups meet again. Six members from both sides administered by UNFC and UPWC technical team heads Padoh Mehn Mehn and U Hla Maung Shwe respectively will take part.
In the future the “main discussion will be about both sides agreeing on the political dialogue road map” that leads to “political discussion” said Nai Hongsa, the UNFC General Secretary. The Mon leader stressed the importance of seeing “eye to eye” to achieve long lasting agreements.
“At this preliminary consultative meeting” there will be discussions “about the agenda” of future peace talks. Discussions also include what observers and mediators from both inside and outside the country would be allowed to attend. During the time discussions will involve both the UPWC’s 8 points and UNFC’s 6 points towards peace.
The UNFC doesn’t accept UPWC’s offer to establish political parties – only after giving up their arms – to contest the 2015 elections, Nai Hongsa said.
The ethnic federation group wants conflicts solved outside the Parliament and would not form political parties to achieve this.
“It is impossible for us to contest elections after giving up arms. The government wants the ethnic armed groups to disarm and live like ordinary civilians.”
But the reason the ethnic armed groups “rebelled” was because they couldn’t accept “the laws that they (government) have lay down”. Now “to find solutions” both sides need to find a common “understanding”, Nai Hongsa said.
What the UNFC are asking for and what the government is offering are not the same according to an analysis by U Zin Lin, the Vice-chairman of the Burma Media Association.
The UNFC wants “to hold a national conference of the various nationalities participated by representatives of the ethnic armed organizations, political parties, women and youths organizations and civil society organizations” to make changes to the 2008 Constitution outside of Parliament.
“The peace roadmaps of the UPWC and UNFC are quite different. To negotiate this, it will take lots of time,” U Zin Lin said.
