Indo-Asian News Service
Bangkok | January 28
PEACE TALKS between the Indian government and Nagaland’s dominant separatist outfit were deadlocked Saturday, with the rebels questioning the need to extend further the nine-year-old ceasefire that ends Tuesday.
The NSCN-IM told Indian government negotiators that they did not see the necessity to prolong the truce that was last extended in July for six months.
Indian peace negotiators are, however, hopeful of convincing the rebel leadership to extend the ceasefire in further talks Sunday.
“There is no point in simply extending the ceasefire unless our demands are met by the Indian government,” a senior NSCN-IM leader said after the talks.
“The Indian government will have to convince us that there is a need to extend the truce and that progress has been made with respect to our demands.”
The two-and-a-hour talks were held at Hotel Plaza Ethini between a three-member NSCN-IM delegation led by the outfit’s general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah and Indian negotiators.
Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Oscar Fernandes and New Delhi’s chief peace negotiator K. Padmanabhaiah led the government. “The talks will continue tomorrow (Sunday). We are hopeful of some solution,” Fernandes told journalists.
He admitted: “Not much progress could be made in the last six months but peace and tranquility was there. This is the requirement”.
“The ceasefire is for creating conducive atmosphere and it has to serve the purpose. For that the government of India has to show control on the situation on the ground (and take) political steps,” Muivah said.
The NSCN-IM, led by guerrilla leaders Isak Chishi Swu and Muivah, entered into a ceasefire with the Indian government in 1997.
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