Dimapur, Dec 26 (IANS): The Indian government has appointed a Dutch negotiator to help save a fragile eight-year-old ceasefire with the NSCN (IM) from breaking down. Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Oscar Fernandes and leaders of the NSCN-IM formally nominated Michael C. van Walt van Praag from the Netherlands as a ‘third party mediator’ in Bangkok last week. “The talks in Bangkok were almost on the verge of collapse with the Indian government failing to respond positively to our demands,” senior NSCN-IM leader Kraibo Chawang said. “Praag’s intervention helped in saving the peace process from breaking down,” Chawang told IANS.
“Praag would be playing the role of a facilitator or a peace broker and he is expected to submit a list of independent proposals to resolve the problem in fresh talks next month,” Chawang said.
“The proposals may not be acceptable to us or to the Indian government, but his impartial role, we believe could bring in positive results and also help patching up differences between our group and New Delhi.”
Praag is currently the executive president of a Hague-based non-governmental organisation called Kreddha, which works for the prevention and resolution of violent conflicts within existing states.
“Praag has been unofficially assisting the two sides (NSCN-IM and New Delhi) in the talks since 2001 and only now his role as a negotiator has been formalized,” Chawang said. “He had visited Nagaland twice before and he is a friend of both the Naga people and the Indian government.”
