Peace talks between the Union Peace-making Working Committee and Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) started on Tuesday in Myitkyina; a day earlier hundreds of Kachin well-wishers turned out to greet the KIO delegation's arrival in the Kachin state capital.
Chief government negotiator Aung Min and his team of advisers from the European Union (EU) funded Myanmar Peace Center sat down with their Kachin counterparts for several hours during talks that are expected to last until Thursday. A representative from China's government and the UN special envoy Vijay Nambiar also attended.
The Senior military commanders included, Lt-Gen Myint Soe; head of the Bureau of Special Operations-1 - responsible for overseeing military operations in Kachin state.
Sumlut Gun Maw, the vice-chief of staff of the KIO's military wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) led the talks. Armed with an Apple I Pad, Gun Maw addressed his counterparts from the government with an upbeat speech that was noted in a series of reports from Burmese journalists covering the meeting.
Representatives from the US and British governments did not attend. The KIO wanted them to be included but China reportedly vetoed it.
The KIO's demand for constitutional and political reform based on the 1947 Panglong agreement were not discussed and are unlikely to be addressed during the rest of the talks, according to sources familiar with the negotiation process. Instead, discussions focused on ways to de-escalate military tensions and implementing troop monitoring mechanisms.
