Burma’s military Commander-in-Chief Vice-Sen Gen Min Aung Hlaing has invited the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) to hold direct peace talks, state-run newspaper The New Light of Myanmar reports. In a speech to senior military officers in Naypyidaw on Wednesday Min Aung Hlaing said, “If the KIA wants real peace, they can come to the negotiating table any time.” The remarks come after government peace negotiators met with Kachin rebel leaders in Riuli, China on Feb. 4 to discuss a ceasefire in Kachin State, where the military and rebels have fought an escalating war since June 2011. Another meeting between the parties is scheduled for Feb. 20 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
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