With an aim to boost the ongoing Naga peace process, a central team including three Union ministers began a crucial round of negotiations with Nationalist Social Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) leaders at the Hague on Thursday.
The meeting assumes significance as for the first time Union Minister Oscar Fernandes and two key members of the Group of Ministers constituted by the government to look into the Naga peace process are participating in the talks.
Fernandes had been the only minister of the United Progressive Alliance government to participate in earlier negotiations, but he has been joined this time by Union Minister of State for Home S Reghupathy and Minister of State at the Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chouhan.
The interlocutor for the Naga talks, K Padmanabhiah, is another member of the Central team.
With the Centre reluctant to concede the NSCN-IM's key demand for unifying all Naga-inhabitated areas in the northeast, the rebel group is expected to raise the issue of "greater autonomy" for Nagaland during the deliberations that will continue till June 24, sources said.
Autonomy is part of the 30-point "charter of demands" submitted by the NSCN-IM, and this includes a greater say in the utilisation of natural resources, a separate constitution, a separate flag and control in areas like finance, defence and policing, they said.
The two sides are also expected to discuss the extension of the ceasefire with the NSCN-IM, which is set to end on July 31.
The Centre began talks with the NSCN-IM in 1997 after the two sides agreed to a ceasefire.