UN Chief to address Union Peace Conference

United Nations Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon will give a speech at the planned Union Peace Conference—21st Century Panglong this month, said a secretary of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee yesterday.
“He will attend the conference, representing the United Nations, but I cannot confirm the information,” said Sai Kyaw Nyunt, UPDJC secretary, adding that he would address the conference on 31 August or 1 September.
According to sources, all international organizations assisting the country’s peace process, UN agencies and foreign embassies in Myanmar will be invited to attend the Union Peace Conference slated to draw around 1,800 attendees.
The review of the political dialogue framework is set to be held after the conference, said Khu Oo Reh from the Delegation for Political Negotiation-DPN of United Nationalities Federal Council after tripartite talks on the Framework for Political Dialogue at the National Reconciliation and Peace Center in Yangon yesterday morning. During the afternoon session, a joint central committee on holding the first 21st Century Panglong Union Peace Conference met with discussions on formation of the joint committee, lists of the members of 10 working committees involving ethnic armed organizations and political parties, a panel of chairpersons, a list of the attendees to the conference, approved meeting agendas and general matters.
Dr Salai Lian Hmung Sakhong, another secretary of UPDJC, said that the two representatives from the DPN will represent secretaries in the central committee and a working committee receptively but the names of the two secretaries can be approved at a meeting on 28 August.
The joint committee will be chaired by Union Minister U Kyaw Tint Swe while Dr Tin Myo Win representing the government side, P’doh Saw Kwe Htoo Win representing the EAOs and U Thu Wai representing political parties will serve as vice-chairmen.
According to the yesterday’s meeting, there will be a meeting of officials from 10 sub-committees formed by the government and a 10-member working committee under the joint committee on 27 and 28 August before a plenary meeting of the 48-member joint committee on29 August.
The NRPC hosts a meeting with responsible persons from 70 political parties that won no seat in the general elections today.