Despite speculation that three organizations of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) would sign Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in Myanmar, UNFC Chairman Nai Han Thar said that only two organizations were certain to sign the agreement, Mizzima News has reported.
Nai Han Thar was responding to reports that the New Mon State Party (NMSP), Lahu Democratic Union (LDU) and Arakan National Council (ANC) would sign the NCA on February 13.
ANC was not available for comment.
Nai Han Thar added that though they would sign NCA, NMSP and LDU would not leave the UNFC.
The second regular meeting of UNFC was held on February 10 and was suspended temporarily until February 13 as NMSP and LDU have to sign Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement .
The meeting held on February 10 was reportedly attended by representatives of Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), Arakan National Council (ANC) and alliance groups outside UNFC, Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), besides two armed organizations, NMSP and LDU, which will sign NCA.
UNFC issued a press statement on February 11 which says the second regular meeting will be resumed after the signing of the NCA by NMSP and LDU.
UNFC spokesman Tun Zaw told Mizzima News that top leaders of United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) would not be allowed to meet the State Counsellor or Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services until after signing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).
The UNFC submitted a 8-point proposal for signing the NCA to the government and negotiations have continued on this proposal for over 17 months.
Since they could not get satisfactory results from their negotiations on this 8-point proposal, they asked to meet with the State Counsellor and C-in-C.
Since then, UNFC members the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and Lahu Democratic Union (LDU) have decided to sign NCA on February 13 as separate entities, not as part of the alliance.
They asked for putting record on the unsettled wording ‘Federal Democracy’ and basic principles to be negotiated as a subject matter in further political negotiations.
The UNFC consisted of four ethnic armed groups.