Rajkhowa writes formally to Assam chief minister for peace talks

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has received a formal letter from ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa expressing his outfit’s willingness to hold peace talks with the government.

Stating that the outfit's central executive council would be meeting soon, the chief minister said, "I have received a letter from Rajkhowa about ULFA's willingness to sit for the talks.

"The talks process is moving in the right direction. I can't say exactly on which date the talks will be held as it will be decided only after the ULFA executive council meets and decides. When the talks will be held is now up to them," Gogoi said last evening on the sidelines of a meeting here.

"The decisions taken at the meeting will be communicated to the government for the beginning of the peace talks," he said.

Earlier, discussions were held a number of times between central government appointed interlocutor PC Haldhar and ULFA leaders when they were in jail prior to their release on bail this month.

The state government had not opposed to the bail petitions of frontline ULFA leaders to pave the way for the peace process.

According to Hiren Gogoi, convenor of the National Convention of Intellectuals here which is initiating the peace process, all ULFA leaders and cadres including its elusive 'commander-in-chief' Paresh Baruah were bound by the decision of the central executive council on talks.