Centre holds preliminary talks with ULFA leaders
Source: Hueiyen News Service

New Delhi, February 10, 2011: For the first time in the past 31 years, leaders of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) opened unconditional talks with the Centre on Thursday with the aim of finding a "just and honourable solution" to the problem of insurgency in Assam.

"As you are aware that they (ULFA) have offered unconditional talks with Government of India and Government of Assam to find out an honourable and just solution to the issues raised by them.

I welcome them.

I assured them that the Government of India and Government of Assam will engage them in sincere and meaningful talks and I am confident that we will find a just and honourable solution," Union Home Minister P.Chidambaram said after an eight-member delegation of ULFA leaders, led by their chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa met him.

"They called on me which is a courtesy call.

These are very preliminary stages and you [media] should cooperate and they will feel confident which will help to find a solution through talks," the Home Minister said.

After meeting Mr.Chidambaram, the ULFA delegation held talks with senior Home Ministry officials, led by Home Secretary G.K.Pillai.

The face-to-face maiden session lasted for about an hour.

Among the top Assam government officials who attended the meeting were Assam Home Secretary N.K.Das, Additional Director General Police Khagen Sharma and Home Commissioner Jishnu Barua.

The Centre's interlocutor P.C.Haldar, Secretary (Internal Security) U.K.Bansal and Intelligence Bureau chief Nehchal Sandhu were also present during the first round of talks.

From the ULFA side, apart from ULFA chairman, vice-chairman Pradip Gogoi, political advisor Bhimakanta Buragohain, self-styled foreign secretary Shashadhar Choudhury, finance secretary Chitrabon Hazarika, cultural secretary Pranati Deka, publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary and deputy commander-in-chief Raju Barua participated in the talks.

Talking to reporters at a packed press conference at the Press Club of India, Mr.Choudhury termed the first round of talks with the Centre as "cordial" and recalled the assurance given by Mr.Chidambaram that the Government would talk to them with sincerity and with an aim to resolve the ongoing conflict in Assam through negotiations.

Mr.Gogoi and Mr.Hazarika were also present at the press conference.

Responding to questions, Mr.Choudhury said that the agenda for the coming rounds of negotiations would be shaped and formulated by the people of Assam who were yearning for peace.

Asked if the talks would be affected in the face of opposition by ULFA�s commander-in-chief Paresh Barua, the senior ULFA leader replied in the negative, saying the decision to hold unconditional talks with the Centre had been endorsed by the general council of the outfit.

To another query, he said that the ULFA would have "zero involvement" in the assembly elections in Assam.

Asked if the ULFA leadership, in view of the talks with the government, will appeal to its cadres to abjure violence and refrain from calling for economic blockade, Mr.Choudhury said that for the past one year ULFA cadres had not indulged in any act of violence.

Asked if he would agree to a ceasefire agreement with the Centre, Mr.Choudhury said the proposal had to come from the government.

"As of today, ULFA remains a banned outfit.

The question of lifting the ban did not figure in our talks with the government," he added.

"The people of Assam today desire peace but with dignity and honour.

We respect their wishes and hence we have proposed unconditional, honourable talks with the Government of India to find out a meaningful, permanent solution to the ongoing conflicts which have plagued us for the last 60 years," a statement circulated by the ULFA said.

"We have noted the recent statement of Dr.Manmohan Singh in Hyderabad wherein he has declared that the Constitution of India is flexible enough to accommodate the desire and aspirations of all shades of people.

Through talks, therefore, we propose to evaluate various facets of the Constitution of India and to explore the viability of protection and enrichment of sovereignty of the people of Assam in all its dimensions - political, economic, social, cultural within the flexibility as proposed in the Hyderabad declaration of the Prime Minister," the statement said.

The ULFA delegation is likely to meet the Prime Minister on Monday after his return from Kerala.

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