The Karen national union (KNU) will not participate in peace talks as long as the military remain involved in politics, according to Padoh Saw Taw Nee, the (KNU) Foreign Affairs Officer.

The military has been holding peace talks in Naypyidaw since the third week of May and has so far met with six EAO groups.

On 14 June it made a statement saying that it would be willing to hold talks with ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) that it has not yet spoken to, as long as they contact them by 30 June.

Regarding the KNU's position on the junta’s statement, Padoh Saw Taw Nee said: "It is not appropriate to discuss with them. The issue of legality is very important. The main thing is that if we talk to them, we will have to accept that they will remain in politics for as long as the 2008 constitution will continue [to be in force]."

The KNU wants the military to withdraw from politics completely. It will only consider joining peace talks if the junta agrees to the implementation of a federal democracy and transitional justice, and the involvement of international observers in the peace process.

Padoh Saw Taw Nee said: “If they [the military] have discussions with the National Unity Government (NUG) or People’s Defence Force (PDFs) they will remain in the political arena and we can’t accept them continuing in politics. The military should return to their military bases.”

The military council has been holding peace talks in Naypyidaw since the third week of May and has so far met with six EAO groups.

More than a year after the coup these are the first peace talks the junta has held and critics say it is only holding the talks because it is finding it too hard to fight anti-junta forces in both ethnic and Bamar areas at the same time.