Myanmar’s gov’t and Kachin rebels edge toward cease-fire

Myanmar government negotiators meet with representatives of the Kachin Independence Organization during their third day of cease fire talks in Myitkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar, on Thursday, May 30, 2013. The government launched a new round of peace talks with ethnic Kachin rebels on Tuesday, seeking to end an armed conflict that has recently been overshadowed by strife between Buddhists and Muslims in other parts of the country. <AP Photo>

Myanmar’s government and ethnic Kachin rebels have ended three days of peace talks with a tentative deal to de-escalate fighting and continue a political dialogue.

The two sides signed a seven-point agreement Thursday in the Kachin state capital, Myitkyina, in an effort to end nearly two years of fighting.

There have been 14 previous rounds of talks, and Thursday’s agreement appeared to be just an incremental step toward a cease-fire rather than a breakthrough. The Kachin insist on a political settlement, not just a cease-fire.

Myanmar for decades has faced rebellions from several minority groups seeking autonomy. The Kachin are the only major group not to reach a cease-fire agreement with the government of President Thein Sein, who came to power in 2011 after almost five decades of military rule. <AP/NEWSis>