Naga peace talks today

NEW DELHI: A day before resuming formal talks with the Centre, general secretary of the Naga insurgent group NSCN(IM), T Muivah, on Friday met home minister P Chidambaram and discussed with him issues related to the Naga peace process.

Muivah, who met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday, is also understood to have apprised Chidambaram about his nearly one-and-a-half-month long peace mission across Nagaland and its outcome.

The issue of his failed trip to his ancestral village in Manipur is also said to have figured in the nearly hour-long meeting.

"A crucial round of talks between NSCN(IM) and Centre's interlocutor R S Pandey will begin here on Saturday to carry forward the peace process. A few rounds of informal talks had taken place last week," said an official.

Undertaking the peace mission that began in the first week of June, Muivah visited all the districts of Nagaland except Mon and called for reconciliation and understanding among the Nagas based on the principle of "forget and forgive" to present a unified voice before the central government.

So far, over 60 rounds of peace talks have been held between the two sides during the course of the 13-year-long peace process initiated in August 1997.

TOI

NSF leaders meet Chidambaram

KOHIMA, June 13 – A delegation of Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) met Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi and requested him to direct Manipur to withdraw forces from Naga-inhabited areas.

The NSF delegation, led by its president Mutsikhoyo Yhobu, on Friday urged Chidambaram to issue necessary directives to the Manipur Government to immediately withdraw the Manipur Armed Police personnel from the Naga-inhabited areas of the neighbouring State and revoke the arrest warrants issued against some Naga leaders.

While apprising the Union Minister about the prevailing situation, the student leaders put the onus on the Government of Manipur and the Centre to solve the problem.

Chidambaram asked them to lift the restriction of movement of Manipur registration vehicles as early as possible, Federation leaders said, adding theUnion Home Minister assured the delegation that he was personally monitoring the situation and would do whatever was necessary to resolve the present crisis.

NSF imposed an indefinite blockade of Manipur-bound vehicles in Naga-inhabited areas on May 4 after Manipur police personnel denied entry to a group of student leaders the previous day at the inter-State Mao Gate.

It demanded an apology from Manipur Chief Minister Ibobi Singh and revoking of Section 144 of CrPC and armed police forces from Naga areas of Manipur.

The student leaders also called on BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, who also appealed to the Federation to consider calling off the ongoing agitation, sources said.

After receiving ‘a letter of regret’ from Manipur Chief Secretary, the NSF had recently hinted that it might consider relaxing the blockade in a short period since many organisations have appealed to call off the agitation.

The Manipur Government had issued arrest warrants against the presidents of the All Naga Students’ Association Manipur and United Naga Council, Manipur for imposing indefinite economic blockade on two National Highways connecting the State for past two months, resulting in an acute shortage of essentials. – PTI