“The Secretary-General encourages the parties to reach a ceasefire and to redouble their efforts toward a fair, genuine and durable solution so that all of Myanmar can achieve peace for the first time since the country’s independence,” said Ban.

During the peace talks, both sides agreed to work on establishing measures that would de-escalate the conflict in Kachin state. They also agreed to jointly monitor the situation. But the wording was vague on both accounts, and it is not clear how this will actually play out to end the 21-month long conflict.

In Ban’s statement, he expressed hope about the announcement that both the government and the KIO might establish liaison offices after further talks to “improve coordination and monitoring of developments and facilitate the implementation of previous agreements”.

Ban also pledged to continue providing UN support for humanitarian relief efforts in the state. “With both sides agreeing to expedite humanitarian relief to internally displaced persons, the Secretary-General expects that aid for those in needs can now be delivered to all areas in Kachin. The United Nations will continue to be available as needed to assist in these efforts.”

Earlier this week, a spokesperson for the Secretary-General expressed concern that the Burma army was  taken advantage of UN aid convoys delivering aid to internally displaced peoples (IDPs) camps in the jade-rich areas of Hpakant Township, according an article in The Myanmar Times. A internal UN memo written by a senior staff member in charge of overseeing the relief programs in Kachin state described  “trucks with government soldiers taking advantage of the passage of the aid convoy to take new positions” during the most recent relief efforts last month in the township.