Guwahati, December 11 2009: Newly-appointed Assam Governor J B Patnaik on Friday said ULFA should come forward for talks without any pre-condition.

"Union home minister P Chidambaram and chief minister Tarun Gogoi have already invited them for talks.

I believe in non-violence and they should come for peaceful talks without any pre-conditions," he told reporters after being sworn-in.

Referring to the demand for separate states, Patnaik said it has to be according to the law of the land and by eschewing violence.

"Any group of people who make a demand, they have to eschew violence.

Our democracy does not allow violence.

Every reasonable demand can be achieved within the framework of Constitution and through peaceful means," he said.

Patnaik said he was honoured to be in Assam and was committed to work for the interest of the state.

"I am committed to protect the integrity of the state and see that its progresses on all fronts," he added.

'No discussion with pre-conditions' .

Guwahati: In a first ever interview to a national TV channel, ULFA commander in chief Paresh Baruah on Friday (December 11) expressed his willingness to talks to resolve years of conflict between the ULFA and the government.

Speaking exclusively to TIMES NOW, Paresh Barua said clearly that talks with the government can be held only if the preconditions are withdrawn by the government and if sovereignty is kept as an issue of discussion.

"There have been numerous examples when efforts have been made to solve Assam's problems, but nothing has been achieved.

The masses have remained dissatisfied.

And there are examples of regions breaking away to form nations.

So, it would be wrong to say that what we are aiming for is meaningless".

Discussions can't be held when the government sets pre-conditions and discussions with the government will not be held in the way it was done in 1985 between the All Assam Students Union and the Central govt.Thousands of people laid down their lives in the six-year-long agitation but what was the end result? Nothing.

So there can't be a repetition of past mistakes.

And the movement will go on if the government refuses to accept these facts".

"A race that has a culture and a language like the Assamese will never get wiped away.

There were many non-Assamese in Assam who have become Assamese and there are many who could never become Assamese and they are part of the colonial state.

There are many races in the world involved in similar struggles and they are not on the verge of extinction but their movements have only grown stronger".

The government meanwhile had earlier said that the ULFA must withdraw the issue of sovereignty in orderfor talks to proceed...

Baruah added that the Indo-Assam talks should be held on a model that would be different from earlier negotiations with the Centre.

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