YANGON, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's second meeting of the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference scheduled for Feb. 28 has been postponed to late March, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of the President Office U Zaw Htay told Xinhua Tuesday.
The delay for holding the conference is due to the fact that ongoing political dialogue is not yet finished, U Zaw Htay said.
A total of 700 representatives are still estimated to take part in the five-day conference.
U Zaw Htay encourages groups that have not signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) to join the signing in the conference.
State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, who is also chairperson of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC), emphasized the importance of the UPDJC in Myanmar's peace process and highlighted that the organization is neither working for the National League for Democracy (NLD) nor the government but for the emergence of the union.
Chairman of the Joint Cease fire Monitoring Committee Lt. Gen. Ya Pyae also called for placing emphasis on avoiding armed conflicts in order to hold the second meeting of the Panglong Peace Conference successfully for national reconciliation and peace.
Myanmar government and eight armed groups initiated the NCA on Oct. 15, 2015 and the first meeting of the 21st Century Panglong Conference was held on Aug. 31, 2016.
Meanwhile, Myanmar begun last month to hold the first national region-oriented political dialogues separately in three areas of Tanintharyi region, and the race-oriented political dialogue in Hpa-An, the country's southeastern Kayin state.
The subject-oriented political dialogue is to follow in Nay Pyi Taw Council area.
The outcome of all regional dialogues will be submitted to the second meeting of the Panglong Peace Conference in March in accordance with the NCA.
