Ban Ki-moon urges ceasefire in Kachin state

Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General

 In a statement released Thursday, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the progress made between Burma's government and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) during recent peace talks in China.

“The Secretary-General encourages the parties to reach a ceasefire and to redouble their efforts toward a fair, genuine and durable solution so that all of Myanmar can achieve peace for the first time since the country’s independence,” said Ban.

During the peace talks which ended late Monday both sides agreed to pursue an overall framework which would to lead to the de-escalation of the conflict in Kachin state. The two parties also agreed to establish some form of joint monitoring of the situation. Though little details of what this monitoring framework would entail have been made public so far.

In his statement Ban said he hoped that the announcement that both sides would establish liaison offices will “improve coordination and monitoring of developments and facilitate the implementation of previous agreements”.

“The Secretary-General welcomes the efforts of all sides to make this happen,” the statement added.

Ban also pledged continued UN support for humanitarian relief efforts in Kachin state. “With both sides agreeing to expedite humanitarian relief to internally displaced persons, the Secretary-General expects that aid for those in needs can now be delivered to all areas in Kachin. The United Nations will continue to be available as needed to assist in these efforts,” the statement continued.

Earlier this week a spokesperson for Ban expressed concern following reports from the Myanmar Times that the Burma army had taken advantage of UN aid convoys delivering aid to internally displaced peoples camps in Hpakant, a jade rich region located in western Kachins state. The Myanmar Times quoted from an internal UN memo written by a senior staff person overseeing relief programs in Kachin State. The memo recounted the UN staffer observing “trucks with government soldiers taking advantage of the passage of the aid convoy to take new positions” in Hpakant during the most recent aid UN convoy there in February.


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