Another shot at Naga peace

The decision for their visit was taken at the last round of talks held between 4-6 December at Amsterdam. The demands submitted by the NSCNIM include the creation of Greater Nagalim, autonomy envisaging a federal relationship with the Centre, greater control over natural resources, flag, stamps and separate representation in the United Nations.

Formal talks began only last year though the ceasefire was signed in 1997. For long, negotiations were deadlocked over the demand of Greater Nagalim as it would necessitate dividing Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh and attaching the contiguous Naga inhabited territories in these states with Nagaland. The Centre has indicated that the current boundaries of the states would not be changed unless there was a consensus among the states.

During his Manipur visit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said as much, ruffling the feathers of the Naga leadership. This prompted the Centre to include Union minister Oscar Fernandes in the Amsterdam talks.

In the past four rounds of talks, discussions had focussed on granting more autonomy to Nagaland, which already enjoys a special status in the Constitution through Article 371A. NSCNIM has been demanding a separate constitution on the lines of Jammu and Kashmir but the Centre is of the view that its demand can be met by enlarging the scope of the Article. In fact, during the parleys held last July in Bangkok, it was decided that the Indian Constitution would be analysed article by article to examine which of these would apply, not apply or apply with modification on the state.

With Manipur Assembly polls scheduled early next year, the Centre is also keen to ensure a favourable result for the Congress since Nagas inhabit four out of five hill districts in the state. A movement for integation of schools in the hills with Nagaland is already on and prospective legislators have reportedly been indicated that the issue of Greater Nagalim would have to be raised in the next Assembly.

The visit by Swu and Muivah will be the third to New Delhi in four years. The first was in January 2003 followed by their visit the very next year raising hopes that a breakthrough in the decades long problem was round the corner. However, the leaders had to leave without any settlement as the Centre stuck to its earlier position of not agreeing to the creation of Greater Nagalim.