Indian government welcomes rebel ceasefire offer

Indian government welcomes rebel ceasefire offer

2011-07-13 23:07:31 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW DELHI (BNO NEWS) -- The Indian government on Wednesday welcomed the unilateral ceasefire announced by the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) in the northeastern state of Assam, Press Trust of India reported.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram said in a statement that the government will sign a Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement with the separatist group, adding that the ground rules for observing the agreement will be finalized in the near future.

"The Government of India welcomes the announcement made by the ULFA," he said. "The Government of India in consultation with Government of Assam will facilitate an early start to the talks."

Meanwhile, the Assam government also welcomed the declaration of ceasefire and appealed to the banned outifit to come forward for talks. It said the government was "committed to keeping its doors open for talks with this group if it shuns the path of violence, but it will not wait indefinitely."

ULFA leaders, including its chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, had recently met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P. Chidambaram and expressed their desire to seek a political solution to their demands.

"Recognising and respecting the desire of the people of Assam for a peaceful solution of the ongoing conflict, the General Council had decided to initiate political negotiations with the Government of India and has empowered the Chairman of ULFA to declare ceasefire," Rajkhowa said in an email to the media on Tuesday.

However, a faction of ULFA, led by its commander-in-chief Paresh Barua, has opposed to the ongoing negotiations. "The ceasefire declared by Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa is against the ULFA's constitution and we refuse to accept it," Barua said in an email to Press Trust of India.

He said that according to the ULFA constitution no member who had been jailed or was in the custody of 'enemy camp' could take any decision on the ULFA's behalf. Earlier this year, Rajkhowa and some senior members were released from jail on bail.

This is the first time that the ULFA has formally declared ceasefire at the highest level, after 32 years of insurgency since its formation in 1979.

The peace process between the ULFA and the Indian government began after New Delhi appointed former Intelligence Bureau Chief P.C. Haldar as its interlocutor in June 2010 and the Assam government facilitated the release of Rajkhowa and other top jailed leaders.

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