Guwahati: ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa on Thursday today urged the Centre to ensure that senior leader of the outfit Anup Chetia, now jailed in Bangladesh, participates in
the talk process.
Rajkhowa told reporters after his first interaction, since his release from jail, with Centre`s interlocutor PC Haldar at the Circuit House here that this "was just a request and not a precondition".
Guwahati: ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa on Thursday today urged the Centre to ensure that senior leader of the outfit Anup Chetia, now jailed in Bangladesh, participates in
the talk process.
Rajkhowa told reporters after his first interaction, since his release from jail, with Centre`s interlocutor PC Haldar at the Circuit House here that this "was just a request and not a precondition".
Haldar also told reporters that the ULFA has agreed to come forward for "unconditional dialogue" and the issue of Chetia`s release was definitely not a precondition but "they
have made a request in this regard".
Rajkhowa said that today`s meeting was a step in taking the peace process a step further.
"We have discussed the next phase of the peace process. We have not made any formal announcement regarding the talks. Our meeting with Haldar was held to discuss the
next phase," Rajkhowa said, who was accompanied by the outfit`s `deputy commander-in-chief` Raju Barua.
Avoiding a direct reply to whether they asked Haldar to ensure the participation of ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Barua, Rajkhowa said, "We will write to all members to
participate in the Central Committee meeting which will be followed by the General Council meeting wherein we will take the decision on how to proceed".
The ULFA chairman further said as some leaders were still in jail, it would be only after their release that the outfit`s Central Committee members and the General Council
would meet to decide the next course of action.
"We will send official letters to all our members to participate in the meeting and convey to them the decision of the Central Committee members which will be openly
discussed in the Council and a final decision will be taken after that," he added.
He urged the people of the state to be "patient till such a decision is taken".
Rajkhowa was granted bail on December 30 last with the government deciding not to oppose his bail plea and was subsequently released from jail on January one.
The ULFA chairman`s close-door meeting with PC Haldar lasted for more than three hours and was also attended by Assam Director General of Police Khagen Sarmah.
PTI
