Myanmar to hold first national-level political dialogue

Myanmar's Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC), led by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, has laid out the structure and work guidelines on holding the first national-level political dialogue next month, officials said on Sunday.

The two-day UPDJC meeting, which ended on late Saturday, was able to make nine decisions required for the national-level political dialogue, making a step forward with the peace process, said UPDJC Vice Chairman Tin Myo Win, Xinhua news agency reported.

The national-level political dialogue will begin in some regions and states in mid-November that are ready to host them, he said.

Aung San Suu Kyi has on the first day of the meeting proposed to hold the national-level political dialogue in three types which are outlined as those based on region, national cause and ethnic affairs.

She maintained that there was only one way to achieve peace, that is to stop conflict, calling for all out efforts to realise it without delay.

The Myanmar government is making efforts to pave way for non-signatory armed groups to the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord (NCA) to join and complete the signing before the national-level political dialogue next month as agreed at the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference held in August-September.

The government's Peace Commission and Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) had held a framework review meeting for the political dialogue in Yangon last week.

The national-level political dialogues are expected to represent all-inclusiveness with opinions and voices of the people including ethnic people in order to establish a union based on democracy and federal system as envisioned in the NCA for peace building.

--IANS

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