Burma’s main opposition political party, the National League for Democracy today welcomed the meetings between the ruling Burmese junta’s Liaison Minister and party leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. It however, said the junta should put a stop to pressuring the ethnic ceasefire groups.

U Nyan Win, spokesperson of detained Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi led National League for Democracy, expressed his appreciation on the third meeting between Suu Kyi and junta’s Liaison Minister Aung Kyi on Monday.

On Monday, Aung Kyi, appointed Liaison Minister to liaise between junta supremo Snr. Gen Than Shwe and Burmese democracy icon Suu Kyi, met her for the third time for nearly an hour at a state guest house in Rangoon.

“It is a fact that U Aung Kyi met Daw Suu yesterday. Though we are not aware of the details of their discussions, we are optimistic that they will act in keeping with their declarations,” Nyan Win said.

Nyan Win said, during a rare top level party meeting, which included four senior party members and detained Suu Kyi, in early November that they had discussed and agreed to implement several issues. He expected Suu Kyi to take forward the maters discussed and the agreements reached.

“During our last meeting [With Daw Suu], we discussed and agreed on several issues,” Nyan Win added.

However, even as the Burmese ruling junta seems to be inching towards resolving Burma’s political impasse by allowing meetings between Aung Kyi and opposition leader, the state-run media continues to publish statements made by ethnic ceasefire armed groups countering Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s statement on agreeing to a dialogue with the junta taking into account issues of ethnic minorities.

Meanwhile, the Burmese Minister of Cultural Khin Aung Myint is said to be holding meetings with ethnic ceasefire armed groups including one of Burma’s longest surviving insurgent groups, the Kachin Independence Army, and trying to pressure them to issue statements refuting Suu Kyi’s statement which has been made contentious by the junta.

“At a time, when we are preparing for a dialogue, I want to put on record that it is inappropriate for the military government to mount pressure on ethnic groups to release signed statements,” Nyan Win said.