<div><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Myanmar opened a five-day conference with representatives of ethnic minority groups in Yangon today to try and reach lasting peace. The third session of the conference follows meetings held in August 2016 and May last year. The earlier sessions failed to make much headway in resolving differences between the government, the military and ethnic rebel groups seeking greater autonomy.</span></div>''<div>       </div>''<div><br />''</div>''<div>Since 2015, the government has promoted a ceasefire agreement that several ethnic minority groups have signed. However, some other major rebel groups, especially in the country's north, are wary of committing to the deal until political terms are made clearer.</div>''<div>       </div>''<div><br />''</div>''<div>Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi previously called on all armed ethnic groups to sign the ceasefire. Her National League for Democracy-led government promised that peace would be the top priority when it came to power in 2016, but has since come under fire for the military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, as well as for failing to stop atrocities against other ethnic minorities.</div>''<div><br />''</div>