Morung Express News
Dimapur | October 19
The Government of India-NSCN (IM) talks at Amsterdam entered its final day today with no major announcement at the time of filing this report. NSCN (IM) officials informed that the parties had two rounds of informal talks deliberating on a range of issues including the current disturbing situation in Nagaland and Manipur. Yesterday’s first round of formal talks remained inconclusive although the nature of negotiations was described as ‘very serious’ and substantive. Sources informed that the outcome of the Amsterdam talks will be known by tomorrow.
Meanwhile reliable sources disclosed that Michael C van Walt van Praag of the Netherlands-based non-profit organization called Kreddha was present during the discussions between the NSCN (IM) and the government of India.
Sources said that although the government of India denied the involvement of the international mediator because of various ‘internal political reasons’ and preferring to use the term ‘some do-gooders’ it was agreed upon between the two sides that the Dutch-based Praag would put forth his ‘suggestions and proposals if any’.
It was also informed that there were two other experts present. One of them was revealed as Anthony Reagan, an expert on conflict issues. Anthony Regan is reportedly a constitutional adviser to the Bougainville parties to the Bougainville peace process in Papua New Guinea (1997 to present) and a fellow at the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the Australian National University in Canberra. Anthony also served as a full-time adviser on post-conflict constitutional development to the government of Uganda for over three years in the early 1990s.
The other expert assisting was identified as Yash Ghai Professor of Public Law at the University of Hong Kong and known to be a distinguished academic and renowned constitutional lawyer. Not surprisingly, NSCN (IM) sources informed that one of the substantive issue being addressed was the demand for a separate Naga constitution besides working out a framework to define the “Special Federal Relationship’ between two separate entities.
