A huge step towards talks between the Centre and leaders from the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) will be taken on October 25-26 in New Delhi. Over those two days, the Centre will discuss modalities of the dialogue with a 11-member Peoples Consultative Group (PCG) nominated by the ULFA.The ULFA had responded to the PM’s talks invite after the Centre suspended military operations on September 29 in Assam’s Tinsukia forest, where at least 60 ULFA cadre had been surrounded.Sources said that after the talks modalities are fixed, the Centre would look for a ceasefire agreement with the ULFA.However, while official sources said that military operations against the outfit would not be suspended in the meantime, Assamese writer and Jnanpith awardee Indira Goswami—mediating between the ULFA and the Centre—told reporters that action will continue to be on hold. Goswami today met National Security Advisor, M K Narayanan.ULFA symphathiser Reboti Phukan, who was present during the meeting with the NSA, said that the question of ‘‘sovereignity’’ being a core talks issue will depend on the people of Assam. Phukhan said that PCG would relay the people’s views on this to the ULFA leadership.Goswami expressed hope that talks would bring peace to Assam. A larger settlement on the Assam issue would be worked out peacefully by both sides, she said.
