Myanmar govt hopeful of making peace with KIO: Thein Sein

Yangon, May 1 (Xinhua-ANI): Myanmar President U Thein Sein said the government is putting hope on making peace with the ethnic Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) as the peace process is going on despite differences in some facts, official media reported Tuesday.

Telling visiting United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in Nay Pyi Taw Monday, Thein Sein said the government could achieve a stage to work together with 10 armed groups out of 11 for ceasefire in the peace process when the internal conflict issue was touched upon, said the New Light of Myanmar.

Thein Sein said the government would step up cooperation with international non-governmental organizations including UNDP, WFP and ICRC in supplying humanitarian aid, resettlement, livelihood and creating jobs and social assistance to the areas.

In the national reconciliation process, Thein Sein noted that all ethnic organizations were working together with the government to sign final eternal peace agreements at the parliament.

A recent series of armed clashes between the government forces and the KIO overshadowed the peace process.

Although three rounds of peace talks have been held in China's border town of Ruili between Myanmar's central government and the KIO, no tangible outcome has been achieved, and the fighting still got intensified, forcing more than 60,000 people to flee the clashes.

In their last third round of peace talks which ran from March 8 to 10, the two sides agreed on some five points which include continued political dialogue, building confidence, and coordination of control of military activities of units of both sides in the hot spots.

Under the president's peace offer extended in August last year, peace making is being carried out in three phases: the first phase is to reach a ceasefire, set up liaison offices and travel without holding arms to each other's territory; the second phase is confidence building, holding political dialogue, implementing regional development tasks in terms of education, health and communication; and the third phase is to sign agreement for eternal peace in the presence of the parliament represented by nationalities, political parties and different walks of life. (Xinhua-ANI)