Second draft of Myanmar peace pact made

Peace negotiators of the Myanmar government and ethnic armed groups worked out their second draft of the nationwide ceasefire agreement here Friday.

The second draft was adopted on the basis of the first draft, Xinhua reported citing a joint press release at the end of three-day peace talks.

The second round of talks started Wednesday at the Myanmar Peace Centre between the government's Peace-Making Work Committee (PMWC) and ethnic armed groups' National Cease-fire Coordination Team (NCCT).

The two sides were headed respectively by U Aung Min from the government side and Pado Saw Kwe Htoo Win from the armed groups' side.

Both sides agreed to continue their next round of talks in Yangon in June to work out the third draft of the agreement, which may also be the final one if it makes progress.

The government's PMWC and the ethnic groups' NCCT last met in Yangon in early April for ceasefire talks, working out the first draft, in which seven chapters were finalised.

Both sides vowed to make efforts to finalise the agreement as early as possible for the formal signing.