The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) will review the peace processes concerning the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) when the second regular council meeting is resumed.
The UNFC’s central executive committee member U Tun Zaw said the meeting has been temporarily put on hold since its two member organizations, the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), are signing the NCA today (February 13) and it will be resumed after the NCA has been signed.
“Concerning the signing of the NCA by the Mon and the Lahu, they are doing it individually. The UNFC has work programs. We have set down a work program, directive, and policy concerning the signing of the NCA. We need to do a review based on this condition. After doing the review, we will discuss how to proceed with the remaining groups and how to cooperate on the remaining work programs. We will discuss these work programs in every stage. That’s why the council meeting isn’t over yet. It will be resumed. Only then can we continue the discussion,” he told KIC News.
In a statement released on February 11, the UNFC announced that the second regular council meeting began on February 10 but it was temporary halted due to the NCA signing program of the NMSP and the LDU and the meeting will resume after the completion of the signing program.
The UNFC’s member Arakan National Council (ANC) announced yesterday that it will not attend today’s NCA signing program and it will only sign the NCA when the negotiations go well on the eight-point proposal submitted by the UNFC’s Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN).
In the statement, the ANC explained the attempts it has made to find a way for all the UNFC member organizations to sign the NCA together in order not to affect the unity between the UNFC after the NMSP and the LDU decided to sign the NCA.
According to the ANC, it has tried to hold at least one meeting between the leaders of both sides, put the deadlocked terminology of ‘federal democracy’ on record as a work program that must be discussed in every stage of the political dialogue, and give a pledge to cooperate on finding justice in the killing of the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) members and a civilian.
However, the UNFC leaders will not be allowed to meet with the State Counsellor or the Tatmadaw Commander-in-Chief to discuss the deadlocked points between the DPN and the Peace Commission (PC) until they pledge to sign the NCA. As a result, the UNFC is unable to take part in the signing of the NCA due to the inability to officially conclude the negotiation between the DPN and the PC on the eight-point proposal, according to the ANC’s statement.
The UNFC comprises the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), and the Arakan National Council (ANC).
