New Delhi, Oct 09: Aiming to give fresh impetus to
the ongoing Naga peace process, the government will hold talks
with top leadership of the NSCN(IM) in Amsterdam for three
days Begining October 17, amid indication that the rebels may
toughen their stand on unification of Naga-inhabited areas.
A group of ministers, headed by Union Minister Oscar
Fernandes, will hold talks with the NSCN(IM) representatives
led by chairman Isaac Chisi Swu and general secretary
Thuingaleng Muivah and expected to discuss all "substantive"
issues for a lasting solution to the country's oldest
insurgency problem, sources said.
The meeting will review the progress made ever since the
rebels submitted a 20-point "charter of demands" to the
government.
In its "charter of demands", the NSCN(IM) has sought
unification of all Naga-inhabited areas of the northeast,
separate representation at the UN, and greater rights over
natural resources, finance, defence and policing.
The Naga side is expected to insist on commitment from
the Centre to its key demand of unification of Naga-inhabited
areas to please its constituencies in Nagaland, sources said.
However, the rebel group's key demand or "Greater
Nagalim" has been strongly opposed by Nagaland's neighbouring
states - Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
In the last round of talks held in Bangkok, both sides
are understood to have discussed the limits of flexibility
within the constitution and whether a "sub-national
constitution" could be accommodated within it.
This has become a thorny issue as the NSCN(IM) has
proposed negotiating a federal relationship with the country,
sources said.
The rebels have suggested that the relationship between
India and the Nagas should be defined by a mutually agreed
settlement incorporated in the constitution as well as in what
it calls a "Naga constitution".
The government negotiators have argued that the country's
constitution is flexible enough to take care of regional
aspirations and diversities. It allows for "asymmetrical
federalism" -- different states and regions can relate to the
Centre differently. For example, it recognises the
constitution of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, they said.
The Bangkok meeting, held on July 29-31, also agreed to
extend the ongoing ceasefire by one year. The NSCN(IM) and
security forces in Nagaland have been observing a truce since
August 1997. The truce has been extended every 12 months since
then except last year when it was renewed for just six months
at the rebels' insistence and extended by another six months
in February before further extending for a year in July 31.
In a joint communique issued immediately after three-day
parleys, the both sides said "substantive" issues were
discussed and the two sides expressed satisfaction over the
progress made in the talks. They had also agreed to "move
expeditiously with the discussions on substantive issues" to
reach an early settlement.
Apart from Fernades, interlocutor for Naga talks K
Padmanabhaiah and two other members of the GoM - Union
Minister of State for Home S Reghupathy and Minister of State
at the PMO Prithviraj Chavan - will take part in the talks.
Bureau Report
