NSCN-IM leaders to visit India

Top National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Issac-Muivah) leaders will soon visit New Delhi to further the Naga peace process.

"All hurdles have been cleared by the Government of India before their visit and the collective leadership are arriving any time in the next few days," said NSCN-IM information and publicity in-charge Kraibo Chawang.

Chawang said the Centre despatched its official clarification to the leadership recently in view of a "misunderstanding between the two sides over certain issues."

Following a request from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, NSCN-IM chairman Issac Chishi Swu and general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah were scheduled to visit New Delhi by end November, but the leaders accused the Centre of patronising its rival groups NSCN(K)

and the Naga National Council and sought clarifications.

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio last week met Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and urged him to remove all hurdles by issuing a clarification to facilitate the visit of NSCN-IM leaders.

The Centre's interculator K Padmanabhaiah last week said the Government of India was neither holding peace talks
with NSCN(K) nor supplying arms to other groups.

NSCN-IM sources said their leaders were expected to arrive in Nagaland by next week to hold "consultative meetings" with tribal councils, civil society groups, churches and NGOS, but their visit to the state depended on the outcome of the talks in New Delhi.