The United Wa State Army (UWSA), Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), and National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) – members of an ethnic military coalition known as the Northern Alliance – held talks with junta representatives in Naypyitaw on July 20-21.
In attendance were Major-General Yar Pyae, chair of the junta’s National Solidarity and Peace Negotiation Committee (NSPNC); Luo Yaku, vice-chair of the UWSA’s United Wa State Party political wing; San Pae, NDAA vice-chair; and Sao Sae Paing Pha, SSPP central executive committee member.
Junta newspapers reported that agreements were signed at the talks, but no details were provided.
Colonel Sao Hsu, second secretary of the Shan State Progress Party, shed light on the agenda and outcomes of the talks in an interview with The Irrawaddy.
What was discussed and what agreements were made with the regime?
We have held four rounds of talks with them so far, and signed agreements about our discussions after every meeting. This time, all the agreements that were reached in previous meetings were signed as a single agreement. They (the junta) proposed holding a peace conference. We said we would be unable to attend if it were held immediately. We would first have to get majority approval from our committee at headquarters. The regime proposed the conference, but we didn’t discuss it.
Other things we discussed included regional development and peace and stability. Regional development was also discussed in our previous talks.
The rest of the meeting was taken up by legal issues and the regime discussing the peace process. We neither spoke nor participated in that discussion.
We didn’t talk politics. We consider this to be the job of political parties and Parliament. At present, there is no Parliament and political parties are not functioning. We only discussed how to avoid conflicts. The regime said it would combine its proposals in a draft and sign it.
Did your groups sign any political agreement?
There was no political agreement. We neither negotiated nor signed political agreements. We mainly discussed how to avoid clashes. Our bases and checkpoints are very close to theirs in some areas. So, we asked them if they would move them away a little. We discussed nothing about politics at the Union level. Our Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee also has a policy (on this). We only discussed peace, regional stability and development in our areas.
Why does the regime want the Northern Alliance to join peace talks?
It wants all the groups it has held talks and signed agreements with, as well as signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, to join the peace conference.
At meetings with the regime, we have also talked about what we want it to do. The regime has explained to us why it can’t fulfill certain things. We are conducting the talks based on our demand that political problems should be solved not by military means but peacefully around a table.
The proposed peace conference will likely take time to organize. At the latest talks, the regime said agreements it has reached with us and other EAOs would be signed at the conference in the presence of political parties that have registered for its proposed election.
We and the regime have different views about the proposed peace conference. But the regime appears determined to hold the conference anyway. We told them that only a few groups would attend if it were held now, and that it couldn’t be called a conference if only a few groups attended.
Why have you rejected the peace conference proposal?
I haven’t said that we would not attend it. We will not attend it for now. We will wait and see. If the conference is at the national level, accepted by all, and beneficial to the country, no one will oppose it. But if it is a peace conference in name only, with no tangible outcome, we are not interested.
What did your groups discuss on regional development at the meeting?
We discussed health, education, transportation and border development. But they could not give us answers immediately. We have suffered a civil war, and we want to secure development for our people. We don’t like the ongoing war and we want to stop it.
We want to find a peaceful solution. We only resort to defending ourselves (militarily) when negotiation is completely impossible. Since the regime has regularly invited us to talks, we are engaging in talks.
At previous meetings, the regime reportedly told your groups not to get involved with PDFs. Did it do so again at the latest meeting?
They didn’t talk about that this time.
