Myanmar poised for ‘nationwide ceasefire’Myanmar rebel groups and their long-time government foes are on the verge of sealing a ceasefire deal that…

Myanmar poised for ‘nationwide ceasefire’Myanmar rebel groups and their long-time government foes are on the verge of sealing a ceasefire deal that supporters hail as historic but critics attack for falling short of hopes kindled by protracted talks

Political leaders, fighters and diplomats will gather on Thursday in Naypyidaw, the former military junta’s purpose-built capital, to ink an agreement billed as a “nationwide ceasefire” to which only eight out of 15 regional movements have signed up

The deal’s backers say it is a crucial foundation that can be built on after landmark elections next month into a full-fledged peace process to end more than 60 years of civil conflict. But sceptics say the organisations that are signing are already in formal or de facto ceasefire agreements, while groups in active conflicts in more northern regions near the Chinese border have held back

The deal is the product of talks launched after Myanmar’s military handed power to a quasi-civilian government in 2011 after almost half a century of repressive rule. The negotiations ebbed and flowed amid decades of mistrust and fighting in some places, notably in the eastern Kokang region on the frontier with China. 2011

Many of the groups that are due to sign are from or linked to the Karen region near the Thai border, which was for years a haven for jungle resistance fighters battling military rule. Organisations that aren’t expected in Naypyidaw include the Kokang fighters and the Kachin Independence Army, which holds areas on the northern frontier with China where vast quantities of drugs, timber and gems are smuggled

Thein Sein, the former Myanmar army general who became president in 2011, has said the other groups will be able to sign later — although some fear the government may try to use the emerging split between the militias as a tool to divide and rule them. 2011

Min Zaw Oo, a top official at the Myanmar Peace Centre, co-ordinator of the ceasefire talks, has claimed that China pressed some holdout groups not to sign the agreement, according to Reuters. He said Beijing was also unhappy with proposals to have official witnesses to the agreement include Japan and western states, which are all vying with China for economic and political sway as this country at the crossroads of south and southeast Asia opens up

Beijing has denied the allegations, saying it has “consistently supported all sides” in the peace talks. Mr Min Zaw Oo later said his comments had been misinterpreted, adding that he was not accusing China of interference

China, Japan, the EU and India — Myanmar’s other giant neighbour — are now all scheduled to be witnesses, after intensive diplomatic choreography. These and other public backers of the deal are hoping that this symbolic pre-election step is just a start, and not as good as it gets