The organizations concerned with the peace dialogue between the government and the Northern Alliance will likely hold a meeting in the last week of October.
After the last Kengtung peace talks held on September 17, both sides agreed to resume their talks in October. They issued a seven-point joint statement after that last talks.
Spokesman of Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) Maj. Ta Aik Kyaw said to Mizzima, “It is still under negotiation, they have not yet replied to us. I think they will reply to us after this Thadingyut (light) festival long holiday.”
In an attack on government troops on October 9 by the TNLA, some government troops were killed and seven civilians were wounded.
Regarding this attack, the TNLA issued a press statement which says, “The government troops travelled from Hseni in a convoy of seven military trucks to launch offensive against our TNLA and then our TNLA troops attacked them in preemptive self-defence.”
Maj. Ta Aik Kyaw said, “We will have solutions only from talks and dialogues. The peace talks and dialogues will not be affected by these attacks but it will be more convenient and easier unless there is fighting during the peace talks. The fighting will hamper and affect the talks a little bit.”
In the agreement reached between the two sides, they agreed to control and restrain from further fighting and opening liaison offices for continuation of negotiations and keeping communication channels open.
Political analyst Maung Maung Soe said, “They need time for understanding building. The important point is to keep communication channels open. The conflicts and disputes can be resolved sooner or later if they can keep communication channels open.”
Despite of the seven-point agreement reached in the last September dialogue, TNLA, one of the Northern Alliance members, said that they could not reach the point as they had expected to since the military delegation did not have a comprehensive mandate.
Hence the government and northern alliance organizations of TNLA, Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), will have to make intense negotiations in the forthcoming peace talks for to sign bilateral ceasefire agreements and de-escalate the conflicts between them.
