Guwahati: There will be no discussion on the
sovereignty issue during peace talks with insurgent group
ULFA, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said Monday.
"There will be no discussion on the sovereignty issue
when the peace talks are held with the ULFA. One thing is
clear: there will be no compromise on sovereignty," Gogoi
talking to reporters here.
He said "the process for (initiating) the talks has almost
started but I don't say that much progress has been made or
any breakthrough achieved. Attempts are being made... let's
hope for the best," he said.
Meanwhile, ULFA's chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa had a
night-long meeting with his top colleagues Raju Baruah,
ULFA vice-president Pradip Gogoi,'foreign secretary' Sashadhar
Choudhury, 'finance secretary' Chitrabon Hazarika and
publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary in the central jail here,
sources said.
Sharing the same cell for the meeting, all the ULFA
leaders were at ease and were seen talking animatedly
throughout the night well into Sunday morning, the sources
said.
According to Bijan Mahajan, defence counsel of all the six
ULFA leaders, "the night-long meeting is a welcome sign as far
as the talks are concerned. It is a positive move on the part
of the government to have allowed Rajkhowa and Baruah to be
sent to jail".
"Whether the six senior-most leaders can take a
decision for the peace talks is a different matter. But they
have got a chance to talk and exchange views on the peace
talks," Mahajan said.
ULFA-constituted Peoples Consultative Group (PCG)
member Lachit Bordoloi said "surely they will get an
opportunity for talks. But an open environment away from jail
would benefit the talks process".
Rajkhowa is being provided the treatment of a
political prisoner and looked after well as per government
instructions in prison, jail sources said.
PTI
First Published: Monday, December 28, 2009, 20:47