Naga peace talks held in Nagaland for the first time

The Centre and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) today held peace talks for the first time in Nagaland where the contentious issue of integration of Naga-inhabited areas, as demanded by the group, was discussed, officials said.

On the demand for a single administrative setup of Naga-inhabited areas of the region, the Centre's interlocutor, RS
Pandey, told reporters that the Centre needs a consensus among the states concerned on the issue.

A 12-member NSCN(IM) team led by its general secretary, Thuingaleng Muivah, which participated in the three-hour-long talks, acknowledged the difficulties of the Centre in certain areas on the Naga issue.

Muivah said, "Integration is a natural aspiration of the Naga people. We believe the government of India also understands it and hope they will solve this issue in due course of time."

Both sides came to an understanding on some issues, Pandey said.

"We hope in due course of time we will be able to hammer out the contentious issues," he said.

Wide-ranging issues based on a set of proposals submitted earlier by the NSCN(IM) to the government of India were discussed at the meeting. Both sides expressed their commitment to explore all possibilities to arrive at a consensus on "certain issues" which are "sensitive in nature", Pandey said, without elaborating.