The second round of nationwide ceasefire talks between Myanmar government and 17 ethnic armed groups scheduled for late this month has been put off until next month, the Kayin National Union (KNU) was quoted by local 7-Day Daily as saying on Monday.
The second round of talks between the government's Central Peace-Making Work Committee and the ethnic armed groups' Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team was originally set for Dec. 19-20 in Pha-an, the capital of Kayin state.
As the armed groups are not well ready for the talks and the Christmas holidays are approaching, it is impossible to hold the talks on schedule and therefore the talks have been moved to January 2014, a KNU central committee member said.
The talks was expected to reach a final nationwide ceasefire accord so that parties involved would enter into political dialogue.
During their first round of talks held in Myitgyina, the capital of northernmost Kachin state, in November, ethnic leaders presented to the government their 11-point framework for a ceasefire deal, while the government side also put forward its draft nationwide ceasefire accord. Neither side has given immediate response to each other's proposals in the talks then.
The ethnic armed groups put forward their 11-point ceasefire framework agreement when they met among themselves over the past two months in Laiza, Kachin state.
Leaders of the 17 ethnic armed groups reportedly planned to gather again in Hlaingbwe, Kayin state, on Dec. 15 for a three-day conference before they resume talks on a ceasefire deal with the government originally scheduled for Dec.19-20 in Pha-an, but later postponed.
