15 July

The Central Committee on Organizing the 4th session of the Union Peace Conference– 21st Century Panglong– held a coordination meeting at the Ministry of the State Counsellor Office in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday afternoon.

The Central Committee Vice-Chairman and Union Minister U Kyaw Tint Swe, Central Committee members U Kyaw Tin, Dr Pe Myint, Dr Myint Htwe, and U Ohn Maung, Nay Pyi Taw Council Chairman Dr Myo Aung, Deputy Ministers U Khin Maung Tin, U Maung Maung Win and U Kyaw Myo, Chief of Myanmar Police Force Police Lt-Gen Aung Win Oo, and other relevant officials attended the meeting.

At the meeting, the Vice-Chairman of Central Committee a said it was a coordination meeting to prepare for the Fourth Session of the Union Peace Conference— 21st Century Panglong– to be convened in the second week of August.

The 3rd session of the Union Peace Conference– 21st Century Panglong— was convened from 11 to 16 July, 2018. After that, formal meetings could not be held because of various reasons. In 2019 and 2020, the Union government and the Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) held formal and informal preliminary meetings to plan to continue the Union Peace Conference—21st Century Panglong.

The 8th Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting (JICM) on Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement held at the National Reconciliation and Peace Centre (NRPC) in Nay Pyi Taw on 8 January agreed that the Fourth Session of the Union Peace Conference— 21st Century Panglong— would be convened in the first four months of 2020. The government held continuous discussions and negotiations for the points which should be included in the Part III of the Union Accord, which is important for the Fourth Session of the Union Peace Conference, said the Central Committee Vice-Chairman.

But, the peace talks were delayed because of the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic. However, negotiations for the Union Peace Conference could be restarted with the help and great efforts of the delegates involved in the peace talks, remarked Vice-Chairman of Central Committee.

The coordination meetings between the government and NCA Signatories ethnic armed organizations (NCA –S EAOs) on 2 and 4 July decided that the Fourth Session of the Union Peace Conference— 21st Century Panglong— to be convened in the second week of August. Initially, the government proposed that the Fourth Session of the Union Peace Conference would be held in July. But the Ethnic Armed Organizations made discussions among them, and then they proposed that the conference should be convened on 12, 13 and 14 August. The government side has also agreed on the designated schedule for the conference, said Vice-Chairman U Kyaw Tint Swe.

The Union Peace Conference is a tripartite conference involving the government side, Ethnic Armed Organizations and political parties. The government side comprises of the government, Hluttaw and Tatmadaw.

The Central Committee Vice-Chairman and Union Minister U Kyaw Tint Swe also remarked that both Tatmadaw and the Ethnic Armed Organizations, which were directly involved in armed conflicts, know the essence of peace very well, so they will be serious in the political dialogue.

The Central Committee Vice-Chairman pointed out that the people in the areas where armed conflicts occurred would desperately hope that the 21st Century Panglong would bring peace, so all stakeholders must exert serious efforts in peace talks for the sake of the Union.

The Vice-Chairman of Central Committee emphasized that each work committee on organizing the Union Peace Conference – 21st Century Panglong must prepare well for the conference in accordance with the guidelines for prevention, control and treatment of COVID-19.

Afterwards, the officials who attended the coordination meeting explained about their preparations made sector-wise discussions. In response to their discussions, the Vice-Chairman of Central Committee made necessary suggestions.
Next, the attendees provided suggestions in order to make the upcoming session of the Union Peace Conference— 21st Century Panglong successful.

In his concluding remark, the Central Committee Vice Chairman said that peace process cannot be stopped, that’s why the Union Peace Conference has to be held even during the COVID-19 crisis.

Myanmar successfully overcomes the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic, and similarly the nation will be able to push back the second wave of COVID-19. Nobody cannot guess when the COVID-19 pandemic will completely end, so it is impossible to wait for the time when the COVID-19 crisis will be completely over, and that’s why the Union Peace Conference will have to be convened in August, said the the Vice-Chairman of Central Committee.

MNA (Translated by Maung Maung Swe)