NEWS-Myanmar Sees Peace with Karen

[Rangoonp@xxxxxxx]

Subject: NEWS-Myanmar Sees Peace with Karen Rebels Soon / BURMESE REBELS

SAY NO PEACE AGREEMENT IN SIGHT
To: burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx
X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.0
X-Sender: strider@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

1)Myanmar Sees Peace with Karen Rebels Soon
2)


Myanmar Sees Peace with Karen Rebels Soon

               Reuters
               14-MAR-99

               YANGON, March 14 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military
               government has said it is confident it will soon
               reach a peace agreement with the Karen National
               Union(KNU), the last remaining ethnic armed group
               fighting the government. 

               The official Myanmar News Agency quoted
               Secretary-1 of ruling State Peace and Development
               (SPDC) Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt as saying:
               "We are confident that our endeavours for national
               reconsolidation will be duly rewarded and the KNU
               will also join hands with us in the not too distant
               future" 

               It was the first time a top SPDC leader expressed
               optimism about a peace agreement with KNU since
               talks between the two sides broke off after four
               rounds a few years ago. 

               "We entered into negotiations with the armed
               groups on the basis of goodwill and good faith and
               in the spirit of mutual accommodation for the larger
               interest of the country," General Khin Nyunt said in
               his greeting speech to a group from the U.S.-based
               Young Presidents' Organisation on Saturday. 

               He said 17 armed groups had already returned to
               the legal fold, leaving the KNU at the Myanmar-Thai
               border the only group still fighting against
               successive Myanmar governments for greater
               autonomy. 

_______________________________________________________
BBC: BURMESE REBELS SAY NO PEACE AGREEMENT IN SIGHT
14 March, 1999

An outlawed separatist group in Burma, the Karen National Union army the
KNU has denied reports that it could shortly reach a peace agreement
with the country's military-backed government.

In an interview with the BBC, a KNU spokesman dismissed reported
comments by a senior official of the ruling State Peace and Development
Council, Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, that he was optimistic the KNU

would reach agreement soon.

The KNU spokesman said there were no negotiations going on with the
government and that the military was launching an offensive instead.

He also said that ten government officials captured by the KNA, were
killed.