Jnanpith award winner Mamoni Roysom Goswami said the Union Government is ready to talk to ULFA abroad also and the outfit has been communicated of this development last night. Ms Goswami said it was the national security advisor M K Narayan who had communicated the government intention to her. ''I have spoken to ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Barua last night and spelt the government decision to him. Barua said he would get back to me after talking to his comrades,'' she said.

The banned outfit had been insisting on two conditions that the talks be held in another country and sovereignty be included in the discussion.The development, should give a new direction to the possible talk with the ULFA.''I do hope that the ULFA will respond positively since the government has met one of its major demands,'' Ms Goswami said. She and Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi came face to face for the first time since she started a solo effort to bring the outfit to the Negotiation table. Earlier, speaking at a seminar on peace studies organised by the Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change, she narratted her experience with the ULFA and said she was hopeful of a negotiated settlement. Mr Gogoi said peace did not mean end of violence. It must be reflected with the uemployment problem as well as economic growth. Assam was looking up to a negotiated settlement and the Centre firmly pushed the ball into the ULFA's court. The ULFA had been insisting on sovereignty but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had made it clear that it was not negotiable.

The ULFA had earlier rejected a peace offer by the centre alleging that it did not come with anything concrete. However, Ms Goswami persisted and wrote another letter to Dr Singh to rethink about the whole peace process. The ULFA, meanwhile, struck right at the heart of the goverment when they bombed the main Republic Day function here. It did not claim responsibility but police confirmed ULFA's involvement.

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