Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 13
THE GOVERNMENT of India has expressed optimism that the ceasefire with the NSCN (IM) which expires on January 31 will be extended further. Talking to ANI news agency, the Union Minister Oscar Fernandes, who is also heading the Ministerial committee dealing with Indo-Naga peace parlays, expressed hope that the Naga group would agree to extend the ceasefire. Fernandes said that the issue of “Greater Nagaland” or the unification of Naga dominated areas is one of the contentious issues between the NSCN (IM) and the Centre.
“That is the point of contention and we cannot force anything on the states like Manipur. We cannot tell them you part with it, unless Manipur state people are willing to sit and discuss on the issue. We cannot come to a conclusion before taking the concerned people into confidence. These are the hitches”, said Fernandes.
Fernandes expressed hope that with both Government of India and NSCN (I-M) committed for the early realization of Indo-Naga political problem; peace would finally prevail in the state.
Oscar Fernandes along with Centre’s interlocutor for the Indo-Naga peace talks K Padmanabhaiah would be leaving for Thai capital Bangok in the last week of this month to hold peace parlays with NSCN top brass for the extension of ongoing ceasefire.
As reported earlier in The Morung Express, the next round of talks has been postponed to after January 26.
Meanwhile according to IANS news agency Fernandes indicated that the next round of talks would revolve around the demand for unification of all Naga-inhabited areas in the northeast, a proposal that has been strongly opposed by the governments of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
“What the Naga leaders wanted was that the talks be taken up at the political level,” Fernandes said. While he was willing to discuss all issues, for the Naga rebels it was primarily the “territorial issue”, he added. “But we can’t force anything on the states. There has to be a due process and other states will also have to be involved,” he said, responding to a question on the demand for creating a “Naga homeland.”
