Top Leaders of 3 Naga Groups Meet, Vow to Reconcile

Kohima, Sep 19 : Top leaders of three Naga underground organizations have met for the first time and vowed to work towards ending hostilities among themselves and consolidating understanding.

NSCN(I-M) general secretary Th Muivah, NSCN(K) general secretary N Kitovi Zhimomi and NNC/FGN president S Singnya held a meeting organized by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) at Dimapur on Saturday.

"We commit to cessation of all forms of hostilities, including any territorial expansion (supremacy of one group over other in geographical term), and for this the joint working group (of three factions) will meet from time to time," the three leaders said in a joint declaration.

The joint declaration was made honoring the spirit of "Covenant of Naga Reconciliation" signed at Chiang Mai in Thailand in June last year by the three groups.

The "Covenant of Reconciliation" was only signed by the top underground leaders at the initiative of the FNR but they never met face-to-face.

The FNR, comprising representatives of Churches, NGOs and civil society groups, has been insisting on the top level meeting for consolidating peace and reconciliation process.

"In the spirit of love and respect with each other facilitated by the FNR, we are reconciled based on the historical and political rights of the Nagas; and henceforth, we commit to working out our differences as outlined in the Covenant of Re-conciliation," the declaration said.

The leaders "emphasized the need for Naga reconciliation and to end all forms of violence and bloodshed amongst the Nagas, an FNR statement said, adding "this historic meeting" was the beginning of a new phase in the reconciliation initiatives.

Since the FNR initiated the peace and reconciliation move among the warring Naga underground groups, Nagaland witnessed substantial reduction in violence for past two years.