Burma government signs ceasefire with Karen rebels

Burma's government has signed a ceasefire deal with Karen rebels, a government official told the BBC. The agreement came at talks between officials and the Karen National Union (KNU) in Hpa-an, the capital of eastern Karen state. Both sides agreed to a ceasefire, to open communication offices and to allow passage through each other's territories, the official said. The Karen have fought for greater autonomy for more than 60 years. Prior to this deal, it was the only major group that had not reached a peace agreement. A ceasefire is only a first step towards a durable peace, but it is a crucial sign of a new determination on both sides to try to resolve a bitter, decades-long conflict, says the BBC's South East Asia correspondent Rachel Harvey. The government has negotiated ceasefires with 17 other insurgent groups since 1989. Last year, talks were held near the Thai-Burma border with several ethnic groups, including the Shan and Karen. In December 2011, a deal for a ceasefire was reached between the local government and another major ethnic rebel group, the Shan State Army-South. Sanctions condition Efforts to end conflict are part of a larger bid by the military-backed nominally civilian government that came to power in November 2010 after Burma's first elections in 20 years. This is one of the key demands of Western governments before sanctions that have been imposed on Burma can be lifted. The peace talks in Hpa-an were led by Railway Minister Aung Min, who is also the leader of the State Peace Deal Commission, and by General Mutu Saipo of the KNU. It is not clear what, if any, concessions have been made to reach this truce, our correspondent adds, but it is understood there are plans for further talks in the future. Civil unrest has flared since the country's independence from Britain in 1948. The fighting has displaced thousands of ethnic minority members, many of whom have fled across the Thai border. There are still tens of thousands of refugees living in camps in Thailand. The ultimate goal of a long-term peace agreement between the government and all the ethnic groups could still take some time to materialise. In the Kachin state, another ethnic rebel area, there continues to be reports of clashes, even though President Thein Sein has issued an order to cease fighting.