Burma's government and ethnic Kachin rebels have reached a tentative cease-fire aimed at ending two years of fighting that has displaced nearly 100,000 people.
Under the agreement, reached Thursday after three days of talks, fighting will stop and further talks will be held on Kachin demands for more political rights and greater autonomy.
The talks, in northern Burma, were monitored by representatives of the United Nations, Chinese government and Burmese ethnic minorities. Chinese diplomat Lu Zhi told VOA's Burmese service that China had assisted the negotiations at the request of both sides.