GUWAHATI, JAN 17: The Government on Wednesday said it was ready to hold peace talks and discuss demands for sovereignty with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to end the two-decade-old insurgency in Assam.The government was prepared to hold a formal political dialogue with the outlawed ULFA, fighting for an independent homeland, anywhere in the world, said G K Pillai, a joint secretary in the Union home ministry in charge of the North-Eastern states.He said the government was even willing to offer a unilateral ceasefire in Assam, similar to the one in Jammu and Kashmir."The government of India is ready to hold unconditional talks and discuss any of the ULFA's demands and at any venue of their choice in the world," Pillai told journalists.If the rebels agree to talk, they can discuss their demand for Assam independence, he said, in what appeared to be a major concession by the government on the parameters of the peace talks.The militants have said that independence must be on the agenda as a precondition for talks. The government has said previously that there must be no preconditions."In case the ULFA come forward for talks, we can convince them that their demand for sovereignty is not justified," Pillai said."Unfortunately, the government is yet to receive any communication from the ULFA for holding talks," Pillai said. "If the ULFA is sincere they should establish contacts with the government through feelers instead of going to the press."The ULFA chairman, Arabinda Rajkhowa, was quoted on an Internet site on Monday as saying his group was prepared to hold peace talks if the government agrees to discuss the independence. He also was quoted as saying that in such a case the group would drop demands about where the talks must take place."If the Indian government accepts Assam's sovereignty to be on top of the agenda for talks then we are ready to review our preconditions of having the dialogue in a third country and under United Nations supervision," Rajkhowa was quoted as saying.
