Trying to fast-track peace parleys with HNLC: CM

SHILLONG, Aug 30: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday said the Meghalaya government is trying to speed up the process of tripartite peace talks among the Centre, the state and the banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC).
“We have to understand things don’t happen immediately in a process. There are a lot of genuine concerns from all sides and we need to take the talks forward keeping this in mind,” he said.
“Things are on track and we will try to speed up the process as much as possible but one has to realise it is a complicated process and we need to take everybody into confidence, build up confidence as things are initiated,” Sangma said.
He said he was confident that the discussion would be taken to its logical conclusion.
Five members of the HNLC are in the city to initiate the tripartite peace talks with the central and state governments. They are the outfit’s vice-chairman Manbhalang Jyrwa, political secretary Aristerwell Thongni, foreign secretary Phrangkupar Diengdoh and two of their personal security officers – Aiborlem Marbaniang and Storgy Lyngdoh.
The Centre and the state government granted a safe passage to the HNLC leaders, who were hiding in Bangladesh, following three rounds of meetings between government interlocutor Peter S Dkhar and members of the outfit.
The state government had earlier this year appointed Dkhar, a retired bureaucrat, as the interlocutor for facilitating the peace talks with the HNLC. Dkhar is being assisted by AK Mishra, the advisor to the Ministry of Home Affairs for the Northeast and a retired Indian Police Service officer.
The HNLC reciprocated by appointing Sadon Blah, the president of the Hynniewtrep National Youth Front as its interlocutor for the peace process.
The HNLC had sent the communication expressing its readiness for unconditional peace talks on February 10. This followed an appeal from the CM while responding to the outfit’s peace offer on February 8.