"Ethnic leaders will not sign on to a nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) if it excludes certain armed groups, senior ethnic representatives reiterated Wednesday after four days of talks on the draft text in northern Thailand. Meeting ahead of the next round of talks with government negotiators in Rangoon beginning on August 5, ethnic representatives discussed the remaining obstacles to signing the NCA in talks which began on Sunday in Chiang Mai. At present the government doesn?t recognize six ethnic armed groups that are part of the ethnics? Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), reconstituted as the Senior Delegation in June, according to Nai Hong Sar. These groups include the Arakan Army (AA), the Arakan National Council (ANC), the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), the Wa National Organization (WNO) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). The Ta?ang National Liberation Army that along with the AA and MNDAA has recently been in conflict with the government army, would also be excluded from the prospective pact..."