[Assam] Indira Goswami, if you allowed yourself to be brow beaten, that means you are not skilled enough. Facing mighty conflict even Jesus had to say “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10,34).

[Bartta Bistar]

 Ball now in ULFA's court for talks, says Goswami
http://in.news.yahoo.com/061114/43/69cwa.html

<http://www.eians.com/>


 *By IANS *

*Tuesday November 14, 01:04 PM *

Guwahati, Nov 14 (IANS) Top rebel mediator and noted Assamese writer Indira
Goswami has appealed to the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA)
to positively respond to New Delhi's offer of peace talks.

'I request the ULFA leadership to give a letter mentioning the date and time
for holding peace talks with the Indian government,' Goswami, sought by the
ULFA to mediate for talks, told IANS over the phone from New Delhi.

Goswami's appeal comes in the wake of an unconditional offer by Indian
government peace negotiators to hold talks with the ULFA.

The latest offer for talks was made by India's National Security Adviser M.K.
Narayanan during a meeting late Monday in New Delhi with two ULFA
representatives - Goswami and Rebati Phukan.

'The ball is now in the ULFA's court as the fresh offer for talks by the
government has no preconditions unlike in the past.

'The government is now simply asking the ULFA to give them a letter
mentioning the time and date for holding talks,' Goswami, who teaches modern
Indian languages at the Delhi University, said.

The Indian government Sep 24 called off a six-week ceasefire and resumed
military operations blaming the ULFA for stepping up attacks and extortions.


In the past one month, the ULFA, fighting for an independent Assamese
homeland since 1979, has triggered at least two dozen explosions, killing at
least 25 people and wounding some 50, besides blowing up oil and gas
pipelines.

'I faced a very hostile government team of negotiators in the meeting and
was in a very delicate situation in view of the attacks going on in Assam. I
never faced such a situation before,' Goswami said.

'But the one positive thing that emerged out of the meeting was that the
government is still hoping to get the peace talks on.'

Peace talks between ULFA representatives and the Indian government formally
broke last month after the People's Consultative Group (PCG), a civil
society team appointed by the rebels to mediate for talks, pulled out of the
peace process blaming New Delhi for calling off the truce.

There were three rounds of talks between the ULFA chosen PCG and the Indian
government peace negotiators.

The ULFA wanted the release of five of their jailed leaders as a
precondition to holding peace talks. New Delhi in return wanted the rebel
leadership to commit in writing that they would come for direct negotiations
if the jailed militants were released.

The ULFA was not willing to give it in writing, leading to the collapse of
the peace process. 'I personally think that it is a big climb down by the
government as they simply want the ULFA to give the date and time for talks
with no other conditions like in the past,' Goswami said.

The ULFA is one of the 30 odd rebel armies operating in India's northeast,
where insurgencies have claimed more than 50,000 lives since 1947
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