Xinhua 6 December 2004

Yangon: Myanmar leader Thein Sein has assured leaders of five more main ethnic peace groups in northern Shan state that the government would not change its policy toward them and would continue to assist their regions' development.

Thein Sein, first secretary of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), in his inspection tours to the state in the last two days, called on the peace groups to maintain peace and stability, rule of law and drug-free zones in their regions, official newspaper The New Light of
Myanmar reported Monday.

Thein Sein also said the government would go on implementing the setseven-point roadmap to democracy without fail. The five peace groups which Thein Sein met are among the 17 former anti-government armed groups that have successively returned to the legal fold since 1989. The five included Kokang in special region-1, Wa in special region-2, Shan in special region-3, Kachin in special region-5 and Palaung in special region-7, according to the report.

The peace groups voiced support for the government's political drive, pledging to cooperate with it in the successful holding of the ongoing national convention to draw up the new constitution, which is the first step of the roadmap, the report added.

Meanwhile, Thein Sein announced that the national convention, which has adjourned since July 9, would be resumed in next February. The convention came to a recess after a month-long discussions on detailed principles for power sharing in the sectors of legislature, executive and judiciary.

The convention was first resumed on May 17 in accordance with the government's roadmap announced in August 2003.

The convention was attended by a total of over 1,000 formally invited delegates from eight categories of delegate groups mainly including political parties, representatives-elect (in the 1990 general election), state service personnel (including armymen) and invited individuals (including turned-in former anti-government ethnic armed groups).

However, the convention was boycotted by the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), which blamed the government mainly for its continued detention of its leader Aung San Suu Kyi since May 30 bloody incident last year. Along with the NLD, the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy
(SNLD) was also absent from the convention.

The political roadmap was outlined as undergoing a national referendum on draft of the constitution through the national convention, holding a general election to produce parliament representatives and forming a new democratic government.