Extension of truce beyond Nagaland withdrawn

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JULY 27. The Centre tonight took a u-turn on the Naga ceasefire agreement and decided to restrict the four-year-old arrangement to Nagaland, taking into account the violent protests that have erupted in Manipur over the past one month.

The words ``without territorial limits'' which sparked violence in Manipur, now under President's rule, would be deleted from the June 14 agreement reached between the Central Government and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (I-M) in Bangkok.

Announcing this here, the Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, said the decision to delete the three words was taken at a two- hour meeting which the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, held with the northeast Chief Ministers tonight at his 7, Race Course Road residence.

Reading out a brief statement, Mr. Advani said, ``After discussing the issue of the Naga ceasefire agreement with the Chief Ministers of the northeastern States, the Prime Minister announced that the three words `without territorial limits' in the agreement of June 14 would be deleted and status quo ante of June 14 would be restored.'' The Government's representatives had already discussed the matter with the NSCN (I-M) and ``they are agreeable to this proposal''.

The Centre's interlocutor on the Naga ceasefire, Mr. K. Padmanabhaiah, returned here on Thursday after holding talks with the NSCN (I-M) leadership, Mr. Thiuangaleng Muivah and Mr. Issac Chisi Swu, in Amsterdam. Mr. Padmanabhaiah flew to Amsterdam in the wake of the worsening situation in Manipur, where protesters took to the streets venting their ire against the June 14 agreement and demanding that the ceasefire be confined to Nagaland. His mission was to get the NSCN(I-M) leadership to agree on reducing the area of operation of the agreement to the original territorial limits of Nagaland.

Well-placed sources in the Government said all the Chief Ministers articulated their known views on the ceasefire agreement but agreed that peace must prevail in the region.

By deciding to confine the ambit of the ceasefire to the original position, the agreement is now back to square one. However, sources were inclined to believe that the NSCN (I-M) was open to continuation of the dialogue with the Government.

Today's meeting assumed significance as the Naga ceasefire agreement is due to expire on July 31. The meeting was attended by the Chief Ministers of Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and the Governor of Manipur. From the Government's side, apart from the Prime Minister and Mr. Advani, the Minister of State for Home, Mr. I.D. Swami, and other officials were present.

While announcing the extension of the ceasefire in June ``without territorial limits'' by another year, the Government had taken into account the demand of the NSCN (I-M) that the ambit of the ceasefire be extended to all Naga-inhabited areas in the northeast. The insurgent outfit, which has a presence in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur, threatened to pull out of the agreement if the demand was not met.

The extension of geographical boundaries prompted the three States to protest, fearing that the NSCN (I-M) may ultimately use it to legitimise its demand for a ``Greater Nagaland''.

The intensity of protests and violence was most sharp in Manipur, where the Assembly Secretariat was set ablaze. MPs and MLAs from the State had been camping here, threatening to resign en masse if the ceasefire was made operational beyond Nagaland after July 31. They were joined by NGOs, youth organisations and student bodies. The Left parties had also demanded revocation of the ceasefire outside Nagaland.

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