緬甸總統會見反政府組織談判代表

Myanmar President Thein Sein has met with ethnic rebel negotiators, urging them to sign a nationwide cease-fire deal before the country's November general election.

Wednesday's meeting in the administrative capital, Naypyidaw, is the first public appearance by the president since the official start of campaigning for the November 8 polls.

The ex-army general met with representatives of five of the more than a dozen rebel groups that have been participating in the negotiations for nearly two years.

He said a nationwide cease-fire deal is mandatory if the country wants to see further democratic reforms.

Reaching a conclusion in the talks would represent a significant political victory for Thein Sein. He is not running in the election but still could be selected as president by lawmakers.

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi this month called on rebel leaders not to rush into a hasty deal, saying the most important issue was to ensure future stability.緬甸總統吳登盛星期三在行政首都內比都會見少數民族反政府武裝的談判代表，敦促他們在11月大選前簽署全國範圍的停火協議。

這是吳登盛自大選競選活動正式開始以來首次公開露面。

緬甸十幾個反政府組織已經與政府談判了近兩年，吳登盛星期三會見了其中五個組織的代表。他說，緬甸要實現進一步的民主改革，就必須在全國範圍內實現停火。

緬甸政府和反政府武裝在應由誰來簽署停火協議的問題上有分歧。許多反政府人士認爲應當包括一些不被政府承認、目前仍在與政府軍作戰的組織。

對吳登盛來說，談判達成協議將是一個重大的政治勝利。他雖然沒有參加競選，但仍可能被議會選爲總統。

反對派領袖昂山素季這個月呼籲反政府武裝領導人不要達成一個草率的協議。她說，最重要的是確保未來的穩定。