Friday, December 05, 2008

Naga Talks in Dutch Capital

Kohima, Dec 4 : The much awaited crucial Naga peace talks between the Centre and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah will be held in Amsterdam from December 7 to 9.

Senior functionary of the outfit Samson Jojo said apart from Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah, other leaders who would attend the talks are V.S. Atem, R.K. Raising, Q. Tuccu and Somba Chang.

“They have reached Amsterdam this morning from New Delhi,” Jojo said. Swu and Muivah are already in Amsterdam.

The talks, which were supposed to be held in The Hague, have now been shifted to Amsterdam according to NSCN sources.

Another senior kilonser (minister), Karaibo Chawang, told The Telegraph that the talks would be crucial as the ball was now in the Centre’s court.

The NSCN leaders in Nagaland said they were impatient with the delaying tactics of Indian policy-makers.

The Centre will be represented by Union minister Oscar Fernandes. Minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office Prithviraj Chauhan is also expected to take part, besides K. Padmanabhaiah, now interlocutor for the Naga talks, senior intelligence and security officials said.

The NSCN has submitted a 31-point proposal to the Centre saying Delhi will be responsible for defence, foreign affairs, currency and communication relating to Nagalim (Nagaland).

The government of Nagalim will have its own armed forces which will be exclusively responsible for internal security and that the Indian security personnel and the Naga army will jointly fight external threat.

But the most contentious and thorny issue is integration of contiguous Naga areas which the NSCN said would be the first step to address the impasse.

But for the interim period, the outfit said areas occupied by Nagas would not form part of the current negotiations.

At present, the Centre and the NSCN are also studying the Constitution to accommodate the demands of the NSCN (I-M).

The Telegraph

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