Naypyitaw: Aung San Suu Kyi, whose pro-democracy party will take over power in Myanmar from a pro-military government in the next few months, has for the first time participated in official talks to bring peace with the country's fractious ethnic minorities.


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Suu Kyi spoke today at the opening of a peace conference in the capital, Naypyitaw, that seeks to drive forward a cease-fire agreement signed last year between the government and ethnic guerrilla armies.


Several major groups failed to sign the pact, and were also absent from Tuesday's event.


Myanmar has been wracked by war for decades as ethnic minorities fight for greater autonomy from the central government.


Suu Kyi said in her speech Tuesday that having all of the rebel groups take part would make the cease-fire talks more effective.