Ban is in Myanmar to attend peace talks aimed at ending half a century of conflict between the government and the country’s many armed ethnic minority groups.
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Aung San Suu Kyi-Myanmar’s de facto prime minister who is spearheading the peace negotiations-military commander-in-chief- Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the two speakers of the national parliament Win Myint and Mahn Win Khaing Than, and United National Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will give speeches at the Panglong Conference.
Aung San is the father of Suu Kyi, who has long made peace and national reconciliation a priority for her National League for Democracy (NLD) government.
In a move clearly calculated to address such concerns, Suu Kyi recently announced the appointment of Kofi Annan, Ban’s predecessor as United Nations secretary general, to head a commission to investigate sectarian problems in Rakhine.
“We will not get a solution from this conference because there will be no discussion or debate”, he said, adding that it will however be a rare chance to “talk openly” with the government.
Mr Ban told reporters the Myanmar government “has assured me about its commitment to address the roots of the problem”.
Skirmishes, particularly in northern zones, have displaced more than 100,000 civilians since 2011.
Commander in chief Min Aung Hlaing urged ethnic groups to join the ceasefire, which the previous military-backed government signed with eight groups a year ago.
They include the Karen, Kachin, Shan and Wa, all of which agreed to put down their weapons to attend. It should open a new path towards sustainable peace, equitable development and the wider consolidation of the democratic reform process, as is the demand of the people of Myanmar.
The rebel armies control a patchwork of remote territories rich in jade and timber that are mostly in the north and east along the borders with China and Thailand.
The former military-backed government had reached truces with some groups, but has never managed to secure a nationwide deal.
He said this step was fitting, considering the bonds of friendship, culture, spirituality and history that unite India-Myanmar as he congratulated his counterpart on the historic victory of the National League for Democracy in the general election held in November past year.
That has happened plenty of times before – including in January, when Suu Kyi met leaders of the ethnic groups a few months before taking office.
NAYPYITAW, August 31 (Reuters): Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi launched a major push to end decades of fighting between the military and myriad rebel groups with an appeal on Wednesday to the country’s ethnic minorities to overcome their differences to achieve peace.
Because the groups have refused to issue a statement saying they will lay down their arms during talks with the military in the run-up to the conference, the government decided not to invite them, the report said.
In an early blow to the historic Myanmar peace talks, delegates from one of Myanmar’s most heavily-armed ethnic groups stormed out of the meeting on Thursday.
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The simple act of bringing the country’s complex array of armed ethnic groups to the negotiating table was respectable in its own right, Johnston said.
