Shah to meet soon with Assam and Nagaland CMs in Naga peace talks

Kohima, Nov 29, : Himanta Biswa Saarma, Assam Chief Minister, and Neiphiu Rio, Nagaland counterpart, would soon meet Union Home Minister Amit Sharma to discuss the Naga political problem and the government of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), officials said Monday.

Meanwhile, the Centre is meeting with the leaders of Isak-Muivah of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim-IM (NSCN-IM), which is the dominant group of Naga outfits.Sarma, the convener of the BJP led alliance of regional parties -- North East Democratic Alliance - (NEDA), has already participated in peace talks and met with A.K., the representative of the Central government.Mishra in Dimapur in September.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity, saying that the meeting between the two Chief Ministers and the Union Home Minister was expected to take place later in the week or early next.Rio spoke to the media in Kohima about the upcoming meeting with Union Home Minister.

He said that he was not aware of the latest developments regarding the Framework Agreement, which was signed earlier between the Central government, NSCN-IM.According to media reports, the Framework Agreement is a hindrance to the "final settlement” of the Naga political dispute.

Rio led the UDA, which is an all-party government formed by the ruling and opposition parties of Nagaland to advance the Naga peace process.The governments partners include the Bharatiya Janata Party which is an ally to the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party(NDPP), the opposition Naga Peoples Front(NPF) and two Independent MLAs.

Separately, the Central government has held peace talks with the NSCNIM and eight other Naga outfits.These groups came together a few decades ago under the banners of Naga National Political Groups.

In 1997, the Centre entered into a ceasefire with the NSCN-IM and other outfits.The NSCN-IM has been involved in 85 rounds of negotiations since August 1997.

Sources close to the intelligence and Naga outfit stated that although many of the 31 demands from the Naga groups were almost resolved during talks with the Centres, there were still differences over a separate flag or a separate constitution.All three states strongly opposed the NSCN-IMs demand to integrate Naga-dominated areas in the neighboring states -- Manipur Assam, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh – sc/vd #Shah #Assam #Nagaland #Naga.