Guwahati: ULFA has to abjure violence and
give up its demand for sovereignty before peace talks are
held, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said and warned
the group of stern measures if it resorts to violence.
"The door for discussions is always open. It is up to
the ULFA to hold peace talks with the government. Talks are
not a one-sided affair. When they talk, we will talk with
them. Except sovereignty we will talk with them on all issues.
They also have to abjure violence before coming for
discussions," Gogoi told reporters.
"If they resort to violence, then we will take stern
measures against them," he warned.
Asked if peace parleys are possible without the
participation of ULFA 'commander-in-chief' Paresh Barua, he
said, "if talks can be held with one faction of the NDFB and
with NSCN-IM without their leader Phizo, why not with ULFA?"
On 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa and 'deputy c-in-c'
Raju Barua being taken to court in handcuffs, Gogoi said, "it
has been done as per law. It is a police matter. No specific
instruction was given. As they are involved in violence and as
a safety measure, they were handcuffed so that they could not
be forcibly taken away."
Asked if there was a split in the ULFA, Gogoi said,
"from Paresh Barua repeatedly sending e-mails to Rajkhowa
through the media it can be deduced that there is some
difference."
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, December 08, 2009, 00:45