National   

Gogoi offers safe passage

Special Correspondent

People's Consultative Group to demand release of ULFA leaders

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday announced that his government would provide safe passage to leaders of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) whenever they came for direct talks with the Centre.

Mr. Gogoi made the offer in his keynote address at a two-day discussion on "Road to Peace and Progress in South Asia: Learning from the neighbourhood" organised jointly by the Centre for Development and Peace Studies, Guwahati and the British Deputy High Commission at Kolkata.

`Formalise ceasefire'

Earlier on Monday night, writer and chief facilitator between the Centre and the ULFA-formed People's Consultative Group (PCG), Indira Goswami a.k.a. Mamoni Raisom Goswami told The Hindu that the PCG would strive for formalisation of "cessation of hostilities" both by the ULFA and the security forces. She pointed out that the ULFA has not indulged in any violence since the peace process started.

"Now is the time to formalise the cessation of hostilities by both the sides to pave the way for direct talks," she added.

Dr. Goswami said the PCG in the next round of talks with the Centre would demand the release of the arrested ULFA leaders and urged the Centre to ease pressure on Bangladesh for extradition of ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia lodged in a Dhaka jail. The ULFA demanded release of its jailed leaders to enable the outfit to take a collective decision on holding direct talks with the Centre.

Modalities discussed

The PCG, which met on Monday here, discussed the modalities of direct talks between the Centre and the ULFA. "Both the Centre and the ULFA would be committing a historic blunder if they fail to avail [of] the opportunity of sitting across the table and discuss the core issues to pave the way for permanent peace," Dr. Goswami said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

U.S. non-proliferation group ups the ante with draft separation plan
Tearful farewell to Sayeed
Sourav Ganguly presents his case
Government confident of Bill passage
Speaker's initiative to bring MPLADS under scrutiny
A record he is not quite proud of
Building cultural bridges across oceans
Transparency in aircraft purchase plans: Minister
Guinea pigs with your future, all for Rs. 3
Evolve system to disqualify dubious politicians: Kalam
Sangma back in NCP
We did not compromise: Kamal Nath
Review BCCI Constitution, says T.S. Krishnamurthy
Police seize 25 hard disks
Shabir Shah for federal solution to Kashmir tangle
Tejas maiden flight likely in June
Cash-for-query report today
Gogoi offers safe passage
Ten Sports offers to share feed with DD
Livelihoods recovering fast: Oxfam
No entry to foreign law firms: Centre
CAG pulls up MEA for faulty management of properties
Narcotics seized, 4 policemen held
Jyoti Basu warns against anti-Left alliance
India can check the spread of bird flu
IAF assurance to court on Anjali Gupta
Hike in cable TV charges stayed
Order on Salem's "jail party"

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu