Indian government and separatist group sign ceasefire accord

[News_Editor]

Indian government and separatist group sign ceasefire accord

2011-09-04 01:01:28 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW DELHI (BNO NEWS) -- The Indian government on Saturday signed a ceasefire accord with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) in the northeastern state of Assam, Press Trust of India reported.

The tripartite agreement was signed by the banned ULFA and the federal and state government in an attempt to end violence in the troubled northeastern state and start peace negotiations. The Suspension of Operation (SoO) pact, as the ceasefire deal is known, will ensure that the outfit will not carry out any subversive activities and the security forces will not take any action against the ULFA members while peace talks are under way.

"We had a very good round of talks. The SoO agreement was signed. The first round spells out the road to political dialogue. It is the harbinger of future talks," Joint Secretary (northeast) in the Ministry of Home Affairs Shambhu Singh told reporters in New Delhi.

Asked whether ULFA cadres will surrender their weapons, the outfit's foreign secretary Sashadhar Choudhury said that the accord was just a "gentleman's agreement." "Why should we? This is not a final agreement", he said.

As part of the accord, around 600 members of the group will stay in special camps set up by the government. The ceasefire will remain in place until a final agreement is signed, according to Press Trust of India.

The ULFA announced a unilateral ceasefire in July. ULFA leaders, including its chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P. Chidambaram and expressed their desire to seek a political solution to their demands.

However, a faction of ULFA, led by its commander-in-chief Paresh Barua, has opposed to the ongoing negotiations. Barua 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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