Peace Talks Progressing, Thein Sein Tells Nation

1 March 2013

Burma’s President Thein Sein, who is currently on a trip through Europe, had his office broadcast another nationwide speech on Friday, in which he told the public about peace talks between the government and ethnic rebels. The president said his Feb. 13 meeting with ethnic leaders constituted “a firm step towards national reconciliation,” according to a speech transcript published in state-run newspaper The New Light of Myanmar. Thein Sein said a “truce would be reached and a sustainable peace process could be created” in the ongoing Kachin conflict as talks with Kachin rebels continue. There would also be “open spaces for participation of individual organizations or citizens in the peace process,” he added.