BANGKOK, May 25 ? Unification of the Naga territories is standing in the way of a final solution to the peace process, NSCN (IM) chief Thuingaleng Muivah said here emphasising ?the Nagas will never lay down arms, freedom or territories.? ?At the moment the crux of the issue is unification. If the government can understand our issue, we don?t need to hurt them. If they refuse to understand us, the question of referendum will come,? Muivah, told PTI in an interview here.
?Eighty per cent of the Nagas supported the peace process today,? he claimed. Muivah and K Padmanabhaiah, special envoy of premier Atal Behari Vajpayee, ended two days of talks on the ongoing peace process. Keeping the Naga territories divided and talking of a solution is an insult to us,? the bespectacled general secretary said. ?Unification of territories is standing in the way of a final solution,? he remarked.
?We told the Indian government whatever might be the efforts to bring about a solution to the Indo-Naga issue, if the unification of Nagas is not done, there will be no solution whatsoever.? Sipping a cup of Earl Grey tea at a Starbucks coffee shop, Muivah, who has been at the helm of the peace talks declared the Nagas will never lay down three things - arms, freedom and territories. ?Let there be no illusion whatsoever, we have made it clear. So long as Indian armed forces are there in Nagaland, we need to have arms.?
?As far as the final solution is concerned, it will certainly take time but with the Indian side now on the right track, it is both positive and praiseworthy. There is better understanding between us.? Muivah said. He also praised the Vajpayee government and said the ?leadership in India is more serious and more committed to finding a solution to the problem and it shows that they are keeping themselves on the right track.?
Stating that New Delhi was ?more serious now,? Muivah said ?We see they are back on the right track. We don?t doubt premier Vajpayee?s or his colleagues? commitment to the peace process. If this attitude continues, it will surely lead to solutions. We praise them.? He said other issues like the identity of Naga nation etc could be taken up later.
?If Padmanabhaih and his colleagues could do the necessary spadework let them do it. The government may have its own difficulties.. We will be available if we can do anything for them,? he said. Muivah asserted that the Shillong Accord could not be made a matter for negotiations anymore. He said Nagas were the ?happiest? when Mahatma Gandhi had assured them of an independent country. ?Gandhi was so farsighted and noble?. At that time Nagas did not take up arms till ?Nehru sent 200,000 troops to take over Nagaland?, Muivah added.
The next meeting between the centre and the NSCN (IM) is likely to be held next month. The two-day meeting which ended yesterday was the second round of talks between the two sides after Muivah and his colleagues visited New Delhi at the invitation of Vajpayee in January. The two sides later met for talks in Holland, where Muivah is now based. The other members of the delegation at the talks here were Gen Atem, convenor of the steering committee, Lungalung, Home Minister and Zami, Secretary of the steering committee.
?If the legitimacy, the natural instinct or aspiration of Naga people to live together as one is recognized, it will pave the way for a final solution to the issue. Without that you cannot think of a solution,? Muivah said. He blamed the Indian government for creating a division by ?putting Nagas in various states.? They have to solve that. ?India thought they could just ignore the Nagas and crush them, but it is not so,? he said, adding ?even if we go on talking, we will still refer back to the main issue of unification.? The NSCN (IM) leader said the Vajpayee government was serious about the issue. ?They know that the Nagas are justified on their part, only the way to work it out may be a problem.? They may not like to displease the Meiteis, Assamese or others. However, ?it is the question of the inherent rights of the Nagas.?
?We are not going to take any part from Manipur, the Meiteis, because since time immemorial, we have been living in our own territory and not in anyone else?s territory,? Muivah said adding ?but now they want to show chauvinism and claim it as their territory,? apparently referring to Manipur.
?I frankly told the Centre, that the Nagas did not come into this world to live under the Meiteis or anyone, if this is not solved, the claim of sincerity of the centre to solve the issue is a sham. The Indian government understands the issue, ?how to solve the issue is still the question. There will be no peace whatsoever without solving the issue of unification,? he reiterated adding ?we will not take anything that belongs to Meiteis, Arunachal, Assam.? He agreed that both sides needed to make utmost efforts to solve the whole problem through ?objective understanding and peaceful means.?