New Delhi, November 13
In a slight climbdown, the Centre today asked the outlawed outfit ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom) to specify “only exact date” for resumption of direct talks to restore peace in Assam.
Without reiterating its pre-conditions of pre-notification of the composition of the ULFA team and representation of only top leaders of the outfit in the talks, the Centre in a meeting with the ULFA’s peace initiator Indira Goswami has asked only for a letter specifying the exact date for direct talks.
“The government now wants only a solid letter confirming the date for holding talks,” Ms Goswami, accompanied by Rebati Phukan, another rebel mediator and a childhood friend of ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah, told newspersons after a meeting with National Security Adviser M K Narayanan this evening.
Though the Centre gave a positive signal about its intention to begin direct talks with ULFA, it made it clear that the operations against the banned outfit will not stop unless and until there was a written commitment for holding direct talks with the government.
The Central Government had announced a major counter-insurgency offensive against the ULFA, after two powerful explosions in Guwahati killed 14 persons and wounded 40 others
last weekend.
Police in Assam has blamed the blasts on the ULFA but the group has denied its involvement.
Peace talks with ULFA’s peace initiators had broken down after New Delhi called off a six-week ceasefire on September 24 blaming the outfit of stepping up attacks, extortions and targetting innocents.
