Burma government in Kachin ceasefire negotiations

**hellheaven1987** · January 19, 2012, 07:26 PM

Burma's government has held ceasefire talks with ethnic Kachin rebels to end skirmishes near the northern border with China, officials say.

But officials say the preliminary meeting did not yield any major breakthroughs.

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) is one of the country's most powerful and well-armed rebel groups .

Earlier this month the government signed a ceasefire with Karen rebels in the east of the country.

It has also held talks within the last two months with the Shan State Army.

Officials told the AP news agency that the latest round of talks with Kachin rebels took place over two days and involved a high-level government team.

Correspondents say that while no substantive deal was negotiated, both sides agreed to continue talks later and inform each other before deploying troops.

The talks are part of an effort by Burma's new and and nominally civilian government to end long-running ethnic conflicts which have blighted the country for decades.

A ceasefire with the KIA would assist Burma's efforts to lift sanctions imposed on the country by the European Union (EU) and the United States, both of which have insisted that peace deals with ethnic militias are an essential pre-requisite if this is to happen.

Source

The change of attitude of Burma recently is definitely one of most interesting events in Asia, and also brings the question why Burma decides to change its attitude so fast recently, without any warning...

And please don't laugh about the KIA part.

**s.rwitt** · January 19, 2012, 07:38 PM

I hadn't heard of this. I Googled "Karen rebels" to see if this was about the same group by a different name and found this:

Burma's government has signed a ceasefire deal with Karen rebels, officials have told the BBC.
The agreement came at talks between officials and the Karen National Union (KNU) in Hpa-an, capital of eastern Karen state.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16523691

It's certainly encouraging.

**hellheaven1987** · January 19, 2012, 07:43 PM

The article also says Burma government is currently trying to reach an agreement of Shan State insurgents, so yes it is a good news.

**Tiberios** · January 20, 2012, 02:09 AM

Good news it seems. Let's hope a lasting agreement is reached.

**Their Law** · January 20, 2012, 04:57 AM

It is intriguing as to why the sudden shift in the mentality of the Burmese administration. But undoubtedly a good shift regardless.

**hellheaven1987** · January 20, 2012, 08:38 AM

Burma's President Thein Sein says the country is on the ''right track'' to democracy and will continue to "move forward".

''We don't have any intention to draw back,'' the former general said.

The Washington Post interview, his first with Western media, was conducted on Tuesday.

He said the West should lift economic sanctions because the government had met many of their demands, including freeing political prisoners.

The military, he said in the interview, was ''no longer involved in the executive body'', but retains a quarter of the seats in parliament.

''We cannot leave the military behind because we require the military's participation in our country's development,'' he said.

President Thein Sein took office in March 2011, after the country's first elections in 20 years in November 2010. Before that Burma was governed by a military junta.

Source

Of course, the important part is:

He said the West should lift economic sanctions