A three-member government negotiation team led by Kachin State Border Security Affairs Minister Colonel Than Aung met with a six-member KIO team led by Vice Chief-of-Staff Brigadier General Gwam Mau at the KIO liaison office in Lajayan for about one and half hours.

“They must still produce proof for a unilateral cease-fire order. Only after receiving this proof, shall we issue a similar order to our troops on the frontline. Then we will sign a cease-fire agreement with either the military or government representatives. Today’s meeting was a preliminary meeting for this agreement,” KIO joint secretary La Nan told Mizzima.

“In today’s meeting, we talked about resolving political issues through political means. I think this is a first step toward compromise shown by the government, unlike the previous governments,” he said.

The negotiating team said today that the government ordered a cease-fire on June 18, and it agreed to reopen the KIO liaison office in Myitkyina to provide regular contact between the two sides, KIO leaders said.

War broke out on June 9 and continued until Tuesday, when fighting tapered off.

The government team included State Government Border Security Affairs and Development Minister Colonel Than Aung; Kachin National Consultative Council Chairman Sin Wa Nau; Unity and Democracy Party Kachin State (UDPKS) member and Upper House MP Khet Htein Nan. General Staff Officer Grade (1) Colonel Tun Tun Ohn and Major Naing Lin of Military Affairs Security did not attend the meeting.

Government team leader Colonel Than Aung is an ethnic Rakhine, who has a good reputation among Kachin. He was Strategic Command Commander in Phakant in 2008-09 and previously strategic command commander in the Northern Command. He contested in the 2010 general election and was appointed the Border Security Affairs Minister of Kachin State after winning in the election.

The government team was picked up by KIO security forces at a creek between Shwe Nyaung Pin and Garayan villages, about halfway from Myitkyina. About 10 soldiers from the government security forces were left at Lajayan camp.

“They seem to trust us when our security forces picked up their delegation. We believe they want to achieve a successful negotiation,” La Nan said.

Regarding a possible ceasefire agreement, La Nan said, “It wholly depends on the situation. If a nationwide dialogue is put on the table, then a nationwide cease-fire might be achieved and political stability could be restored.”