The Hindu : Naga talks to resume after polls

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 24, 2003

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Naga talks to resume after polls

By Vinay Kumar

The NSCN (I-M) leaders, Thuingaleng Muivah and Isak Chisi Swu, and the Centre's special emissary, K. Padmanabhaiah, talking to the media in New Delhi on Thursday. — PTI

NEW DELHI JAN. 23. The Centre and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (I-M) today agreed to continue their talks aimed at finding a lasting settlement to the Naga problem.

A joint communique signed by two sides at the end of three rounds of official-level talks here said that both the sides had reaffirmed the need to maintain a "peaceful and violence-free environment."

Government sources said that substantive issues were raised during the three rounds of talks between the Centre and the NSCN (I-M) leadership, adding that the talks "proceeded in the right direction." The sources were hopeful that the peace talks with the NSCN (I-M) seemed to be "reaching somewhere."

Indications are that the next round of Centre-NSCN talks would be held after the February 26 Assembly polls in Nagaland. Though the Centre would prefer that talks be held in India, both sides are stated to be "flexible" on coming to an agreement on it.

Some kind of understanding has been reached between the Centre and the Naga insurgent leaders, according to sources, but they too are of a "tentative nature" and it would take some more time before anything could be put down on paper.

The reasons for this are not very far to visualise as the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (I-M) raised about 30 issues relating to "devolution of power, autonomy'' and each one of them was linked to the other.

"Concession on one cannot be given till all issues are sorted out. Nothing is final at this stage," sources indicated.

It was pointed out that the Centre was clear in its mind on what could be done and what cannot be done. If indications from Naga and the Government sources are to be believed, it is not yet clear how the Centre is going to deal with the NSCN (I-M) demand of including the Naga-dominated areas in other States of the northeast in Nagaland.

This would need a redrawing of the geographical boundaries of Nagaland. The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's reported assurance to the Manipur Chief Minister-led all-party delegation on protecting the territorial integrity of the neighbouring State has also had its "impact" on the current round of talks with Naga leaders.

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