Ulfa agrees to hold talks in Assam

"We are willing to even come down to Dispur (capital of Assam) as long as the agenda of talks revolved around our demand for sovereignty," said Paresh Baruah, commander-in-chief of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa).

The Ulfa leader's statement was published Monday in Assam's newspapers.

"But the issue is whether the Indian government is willing to talk with us. As long as they (government) are ready to talk on that issue, so are we," he added.

The Ulfa has been fighting for an independent homeland in Assam since 1979.

The fresh offer is a clear departure from its previous stand that negotiations can only be held in a third country under UN supervision and its demand for independence should be the core issue of the agenda.

The latest statement makes no reference to the earlier preconditions.

At the same time, the Ulfa leader claimed responsibility for a grenade blast on Saturday here that killed a paramilitary trooper and wounded three, besides three more explosions in eastern Assam on Sunday.

The Ulfa decision to renew its offer for talks follows the decision by another militant group in northeast to act as a facilitator to bring the Ulfa to the negotiating table.

"We want to act as a go-between to enable the Ulfa to come forward for talks with the federal government," said K Mulatonu, publicity chief of the SS Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K).

"We are hopeful our efforts would receive positive response from the Ulfa although everything depends on the sincerity of New Delhi," Mulatonu said.

The NSCN(K), fighting for an independent tribal homeland in Nagaland, has been operating a ceasefire with New Delhi since 2001 although formal talks with the government were yet to begin.

"We intend to open channels of communication with the Ulfa soon and our close association with the outfit would help us achieve our objective," Mulatonu said.