YANGON -- Government officials, military leaders and ethnic armed groups have concluded a peace agreement that Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi describes as historic but underscores the sharp divide between her civilian cabinet and the armed forces.
The fourth session of the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference finished on Friday in Naypyitaw, the national capital. It was Suu Kyi's fourth and final push for peace with insurgent ethnic minorities ahead of national elections on Nov. 8. Part III of the Union Accord, signed on Friday, includes a framework to implement the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, and basic principles to establish a democratic federal union.