Gogoi wants new emissary to talk to NSCN

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JULY 28. The Assam Chief Minister, Mr. Tarun Gogoi, today welcomed the Centre's decision to restrict the territorial limit of its ceasefire accord with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Issac-Muivah) to Nagaland. He favoured having a new special emissary for holding talks with the NSCN (I-M).

Mr. Gogoi, along with other Chief Ministers of the north-east States (except Nagaland), had been pressing for revocation of the June 14 ceasefire accord ``without territorial limits''.

Mr. Gogoi told mediapersons that the accord had created lot of tension in the north-east. The Centre had realised the ground realities in deciding to remove the three contentious words ``without territorial limits'', and restored status quo ante.

``The move would restore normalcy in the region,'' Mr Gogoi said. Even the Nagaland Chief Minister, Mr. S.C. Jamir, who favoured extension of territorial limits beyond Nagaland, had agreed.

One of the fears expressed by Mr. Gogoi was possible increase in the NSCN (I-M) activities if the accord was extended to other States in the region.

The Chief Minister denied that there was an unwritten agreement on keeping the ceasefire going in other States. ``How can there be any informal agreement?'' he asked.

The maximum concession was that the States may agree to cooperate like giving passage to underground cadres through its territories, if the Centre made a specific request.

On the demand to bring in another special emissary instead of Mr. K. Padmanabhaiah, who has been holding talks with the NSCN (I-M), Mr. Gogoi favoured the task being entrusted to a person who is aware of the sensitivities of the people of the region and thorough knowledge of the region.

Mr. Gogoi also discussed the gas cracker project with the Petroleum Minister, Mr. Ram Naik, who suggested slashing the production capacity from 2 lakh to 1.5 lakh tonnes per annum; discussed the issue of bifurcation of Namrup Fertiliser with the Fertiliser Minister, Mr. Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and bifurcation of cement plant with the Industry Minister, Mr. Manohar Joshi.

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