The Myanmar government will sign a nationwide cease-fire accord with armed ethnic groups during the first week of October, paving the way for political dialogue among the participants to start in January, the government’s chief peace negotiator said Monday according to an RFA report on 14 September. 
At a meeting with representatives from more than 70 political parties, including the ruling Union Solidarity and Development (USDP) and opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) parties, at least nine armed ethnic groups agreed to sign the nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA) early next month, said Aung Min, a minister of the President's Office and chairman of the government-affiliated Myanmar Peace Centre.
Those at the meeting at the Myanmar Peace Centre in the commercial capital Yangon discussed developing a common framework for political dialogue, which according to the NCA, must take place within one to three months of the accord’s signing, he said.
At Monday’s meeting, Thein Sein offered to sign the NCA on September 29, but ethnic leaders wanted to do it on October 15, Aung Min said.