Naga leader's arrest will not `hit peace talks'

By Our Special Correspondent

GUWAHATI, JAN. 28. The next round of peace talks with NSCN(Isak- Muivah) slated for tomorrow would not be affected by the arrest of its general secretary, Mr. Thuingalengh Muivah, in Bangkok on January 19, Home Ministry sources said today.

Contacted in Delhi, the sources confirmed the holding of the talks as scheduled. ``Mr. Muivah may have been arrested but Mr. Isak Swu is around and would take part in the talks'', they said.

The Centre, it seems, is determined to continue the peace process and not allow anything to come in the way.

For the same reason, when the NSCN(I-M) made an abortive attempt on the life of the Nagaland Chief Minister, Mr. S. C. Jamir, on November 29 last year, the Centre did not name it, though it was fully aware that NSCN(I-M) was behind the attack. The Home Ministry statement then had only blamed ``an underground group'' for the attack.

Asked why the news of Mr. Muivah's arrest by the Thai authorities on January 19 was broken only yesterday, after a gap of eight days, the sources said cryptically: ``The Government was aware of it (the arrest).''

Speaking to TheHindu from Kohima over the phone, the Chief Minister, Mr. Jamir, however, wondered whether the Centre was really ``aware'' of Mr. Muivah's arrest. ``We were in Shillong on January 21 and 22 for the Chief Ministers' conference which was attended by the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the Defence Minister. Nobody told me about the arrest then'', Mr. Jamir said.

He also reiterated that peace talks with the group was fruitless. ``After the Kargil war and the hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu, Pakistan cannot be said to be particularly friendly to India. Why then did Muivah choose to go to Pakistan now - at this juncture - of all times?''

Mr. Jamir said for any talks to succeed there should be mutual trust. ``Can Mr. Muivah be trusted after this? When the leader of the group is arrested, then the question of peace talks does not arise at all,'' he said.

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