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Muivah to meet PM, PC in Delhi

By Spl Correspondent

NEW DELHI, Feb 27 � After a gap of nearly a year, the stalled Naga peace talk is once again all set to resume, with top leaders of NSCN (I-M) scheduled to arrive here late tonight.

The NSCN (I-M) leaders including its general secretary Th. Muivah are scheduled to meet the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister, besides holding talks with the new interlocutor, R S Pandey on March 2 and 3. A formal dialogue is expected to get under way later next week.

The general secretary of NSCN (I-M) would arrive to carry forward the Naga peace talks, Union Home Secretary G K Pillai said in Dimapur on Saturday. .

�The NSCN (I-M) leaders have accepted the Government�s invitation to resume the peace dialogue between New Delhi and the Naga organisation,� Pillai was quoted as having said. He was in Dimapur to attend a passing out parade of Assam Rifles.

Sources said that before the formal dialogue gets under way, the NSCN (I-M) would meet Pandey, who has replaced K Padmanabhaiah as the government�s interlocutor. The former Chief Secretary of Nagaland was appointed on February 12, while Padmanabhaiah was relieved from the responsibility, last September after Union Home Ministry decided to take charge directly.

According to sources, the Naga leaders are slated to visit Nagaland during their current tour.

With the focus now shifting on Naga unification, the NSCN (I-M) leaders are expected to hold crucial meetings with the Naga civil society on involving other players like the rival Khaplang faction, Naga National Council (NNC) in the dialogue process.

The Naga delegation is now expected to continue its discussion with Centre over the limits of flexibility within the Constitution and whether a "sub-national constitution" could be accommodated within it.

The two sides are likely to review progress made since the NSCN (I-M) submitted a 20-point charter of demands to the Centre.

Sources said it has been decided that during the current round of talks, discussion on contentious issues are likely to be avoided.

The bone of contention is the demand for unification of all Naga-inhabited areas spread over the States of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The NSCN (I-M) has also demanded separate representation at the UN and greater rights over natural resources, finance, defence and policing, amongst others.

A ceasefire was signed with NSCN (I-M) in August 1997.

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