PEACE TALKS FOR INDIA, ULFA
http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=129628®ion=2
Fresh peace talks between India's federal government and representatives of a powerful north-eastern rebel group, the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), will held later this month.
Aimed at ending three decades of bloodshed, the talks with Interior Minister Shivraj Patil and 11 peace emissaries of the outlawed ULFA will go ahead on June the 22nd in the Indian capital, New Delhi.
ULFA have been fighting for an independent homeland for Assam since 1979. "The agenda is primarily to pave the way for signing a bilateral ceasefire agreement and then beginning direct negotiations with the rebel leadership," a government official said, declining to give his name.
Peace representatives said the talks may pave the way for direct negotiations with the rebels, who are demanding the release of at least five senior members from jail, before beginning direct talks.
"The June 22 talks would be crucial as several important issues that could ultimately lead to direct negotiations between the ULFA leadership and the government would be discussed," said Assamese writer Indira Goswami, one of the peace members.
The ULFA is one of the most organised rebel armies in the northeast, where more than 30 militant groups operate with demands ranging from independence to greater autonomy. Previous peace talks with ULFA emissaries were held in October and February.
At least 15,000 people have lost their lives in Assam since the start of the insurgency.
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