Gogoi ready to cease fire

The Assam government will consider unilateral cease-fire with the United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) on an experimental basis to create a congenial atmosphere for talks only if it receives a "positive response" from the militant outfit.

The government did not rule out the possibility of an unilateral cease-fire provided there was also an improvement in the law and order situation, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told a delegation of the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad, who called on him here yesterday.

The delegation had demanded that a unilateral cease-fire be declared by the state government for one month on an experimental basis to create the right atmosphere for talks, Dilip Shankar Saikia, Parishad general secretary, told reporters today.

The Parishad in its "jatiya mahasabha" on September 20 and 21 had urged the government to suspend counter-insurgency operations to create a congenial atmosphere for talks while the militants were asked to stop violence.

The state government had followed this up by announcing on September 30 that it would declare cease-fire from October 15 if the militants respond positively for talks. The banned NDFB during that time had announced its decision to come forward for talks.