GUWAHATI, June 10 (IANS): The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) is seeking a "political solution" to end decades of violent insurgency in the region that has left thousands dead. "As a revolutionary group, we want an honourable and acceptable political solution to the long years of conflict," Arabinda Rajkhowa, chief of the banned ULFA, said in a statement.
He was reacting to New Delhi’s offers to hold peace talks with separatist groups in the north-eastern region.
"It now depends on the Indian Government’s sincerity in holding talks with us. We have always been hearing of successive governments in New Delhi offering to hold negotiations, but then they were never really sincere in initiating talks with us," Rajkhowa said.
Minister of State for Defence Bijoy Krishna Handique had said last week that the Government was ready to hold talks with the ULFA even outside the country.
"Holding talks in a neutral country should not be a problem considering the fact that the world today is just a global village," the Minister said.
The ULFA had earlier set three conditions for talks with the government: negotiations be held in a third country under UN supervision and that the talks should discuss the question of Assam’s ‘sovereignty’ or independence.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said: "The Central government has made its intentions clear about talks.