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Rajkhowa holds talks with Haldar

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Jan 6 � ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, and the banned outfit�s �deputy commander-in-chief� Raju Baruah sat for a meeting with the Centre-appointed peace interlocutor PC Haldar to discuss on formal initiation of peace parleys with the Government of India in which the outfit today formally agreed to sit for talks without any precondition.

Rajkhowa, during the meeting, however, appealed to the Government of India to facilitate extradition of ULFA�s general secretary Anup Chetia from Bangladesh in the interest of the peace talks.

�It was a very positive beginning. The ULFA chairman has expressed the outfit�s willingness for unconditional peace talks,� Haldar told newsmen after the meeting. The meeting that went on for almost two hours took place at the Circuit House. This was the first meeting after Arabinda Rajkhowa was released on bail from the Guwahati Central Jail on January 1.

Asked about elusive ULFA chief Paresh Baruah, Haldar said, �It is not about holding talks with Paresh Baruah or anybody else. For us we are holding talks with the ULFA, not with individuals,� Haldar said.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Rajkhowa said, �We are yet to make any formal announcement on talks. In today�s meeting, we discussed ways to facilitate such an announcement.�

Rajkhowa stated that any formal decision on talks has to be first taken by the central executive council of the ULFA and it has to be further approved by the general council.

�All the issues concerning the people of Assam and the ULFA would also be discussed before the formal announcement,� the ULFA chief stated.

Rajkhowa also sought early release of ULFA�s finance secretary Chitraban Hazarika and its �foreign secretary� Sasha Choudhury, the bail petitions of whom would be heard tomorrow.

The meeting was also attended by Assam Police Special Branch Additional Director General Khagen Sharma.

Already, six of the outfit�s central executive members, including Rajkhowa, Raju Baruah, Pradeep Gogoi and Mithinga Daimary, have been granted bail after the State Government filed affidavit with the Court stating that it has no objection in them being given bail.

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