Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh assures that the Centre is open to exploring all options for resolving the Naga problem.        

North East News Agency

It seems that clouds threatening to derail Naga peace process have now disappeared. After the latest round of talks in Bangkok, between the Centre and the NSCN (IM), both the sides expressed satisfaction over the outcome of the meeting. Though there was reportedly no discussion over the issue of extension of ceasefire agreement between the two sides, which will expire on January 31, 2006, insiders revealed that extension of ceasefire would now be a mere formality as both the sides had been able to thrash out the differences cropped up during the recent months.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has assured a delegation of United Naga Council (UNC) that the government was open to exploring all options for resolving the Naga problem. Echoing the Prime Minister, Minister of State for Home Affairs   Sriprakash Jaiswal expressed confidence of a positive and fruitful outcome of the ongoing peace talks with the Naga leaders despite    signs of dialogue beginning to falter. “We want that there should be peace in the entire North-Eastern region and our government has been taking steps to ensure that. As the Naga peace talks are going there are many problems and demands, the talks are going on... and a way will come out through which the issue can be resolved and lasting peace can be restored in the region,” Mr. Jaiswal stressed.

That the suspicion and anger are matters of past can be judged from the fact that after the two-day long peace talks between Government of India and NSCN (IM) ended on an optimistic note with a joint Christmas celebration. Mr Muivah cut a Christmas cake brought by Mr., Fernandes and the two leaders accompanied by their wives, Blossom Oscar Fernandes and Iskera Muivah, sang ‘Holy Night, Silent Night’. The Naga delegates also joined them.

After the talks Mr. Fernandes said that the next round of talk is likely to be held next month. Clarifying on his remarks about ‘’third party participation’’ in talks, Mr Muivah said he wanted to make clear that he did not mean ‘’third party’’ in the conventional sense. There was no room for any such involvement in the Centre-Naga talks, he said, emphasising that it meant suggestions to take the dialogue forward could be made by ‘’experts’’ who follow the Naga issue closely. The Nagas raised the issue of alleged ceasefire violations by Indian security forces.

Clarifying further Mr. Muivah stated “When I talked of third party mediation, I meant experts who are willing to share their ideas with us. I did not mean that official third party mediation had been accepted by India or by us. The experts whose ideas we invite will not play any official role.”

Meanwhile, rival Naga underground faction NSCN (K) has alleged that Government of India was condoning and ignoring the crimes perpetrated by the NSCN (IM). Citing that the ground rules to the ceasefire were being abrogated, a release said, “In spite of the clear-cut guidelines provided in the text  of the ground-rules between the NSCN (IM) group and the Government of India, the GoI deliberately allowed the IM men to carry on rampant extortions, threats, intimidations, attacks and killings without any slightest restraints.”

Making an assertive statement, the NSCN (K) said the GOI is at liberty to pull out from the ceasefire agreement at any time and at will. “And likewise, the NSCN is also at liberty to do the same,” the armed group headed by SS Khaplang said. The stand of the NSCN (IM) is territorial integration before settlement, whereas the NSCN (K) believes integration only after settlement. Reiterating this, Libamo Jami, Deputy Secretary of the outfit’s Ministry of Information and Publicity said, “The stand of the I-M group is settlement and then unity which means that all sections of the Nagas to unite in their settlement through coercion and killings which is a manifestation of hatred and selfishness, whereas the stand of the NSCN is unity before settlement which means accommodative and goodwill.” There are striking differences between the objective principles of the NSCNs, according to the release.

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