The moment Swaraj Kaushal's resignation drama came out in the open, political circles have been full of rumours about how much it would harm the ongoing peace talks between the Indian government and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN). After all, Kaushal had been in constant touch with the NSCN leaders Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah over the past one year and more. Just because no political breakthrough has yet been achieved does not necessarily mean Kaushal had made no headway. If not anything, he was trying to gain the confidence of the Naga leadership. Though a parallel cannot be drawn with the resignation of the Peace Mission's members in the Sixties, Kaushal's resignation does mean one thing - it is quite a hiccup. Such hiccups are not welcome in such a negotiation process. How is the NSCN going to react to Kaushal's exit? Will it really harm the negotiation process? Speculations abounded. There were as many opinions as there were experts. The answers could have only come from the horse's mouth. So the "Northeast Vigil" editor managed to trace NSCN general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah all the way to Geneva. The electronic interview, obviously, could not be long enough, but the answers are all there. Brief, but to the point. So much for speculations.

NORTHEAST VIGIL: How do you react to Kaushal's resignation?
THUINGALENG MUIVAH: We were informed of Kaushal's resignation all of a sudden at a time when we were about to start for The Netherlands for the talks which had been scheduled for 23-24 July 1999. It should not have been that abrupt. It is unfortunate to miss him, his earnest efforts toward working out a positive solution to the Indo-Naga issue is praise worthy.

NORTHEAST VIGIL: Do you think it will hamper the ongoing negotiations?
THUINGALENG MUIVAH: We do not think it will hamper the process if the commitment given from the Indian side to finding a workable solution, is serious.

NORTHEAST VIGIL: What is your reaction to K Padmanabhaiah's appointment as chief negotiator?
THUINGALENG MUIVAH: We do not have to make comment on him at the moment. But we do believe that he as a negotiator will do his utmost to be realistic to bring about an honorable negotiated settlement although it is a tough proposition.

NORTHEAST VIGIL: Kaushal, in an article in Indian Express on Sunday, described AB Vajpayee as being totally ignorant of the Northeast. What to you have to say about Vajpayee?
THUINGALENG MUIVAH: It is true that most of the leaders in India, in spite of their leadership wisdom remain ignorant of the peoples in that part. They also deliberately ignored the reality of the Nagas. They believe in force and forced occupation. We are sorry they are not based on conscience and historical rights. This is still the crux of the problem. It is only recently that they started talking about political solution. However, India is blessed to have a leader like Vajpayee in time like this. He holds the balance. But how long could he decide the course?

NORTHEAST VIGIL: What is the current status of the peace talks?
THUINGALENG MUIVAH: The process is on. We are taking up the talks seriously with the representatives of the Prime Minister. We have made our position unequivocal. Our disposition to understand India's difficulties is also clear. We believe they have understood us.

NORTHEAST VIGIL: What do you have to say about constant changes in government in New Delhi as well as the negotiators?
THUINGALENG MUIVAH: It is unfortunate to see the government in New Delhi being in flux when solutions to serious problems are so much called for. Such a state of affairs simply does not help. It affects by extension, the trust in the mandate a negotiator carries.

NORTHEAST VIGIL: Where do we go from here?
THUINGALENG MUIVAH: If nothing positive turns out from the process Nagas and the Government of India have to be prepared once again to do better. But it can only be done when truth is admitted.

NEW DELHI, July 27: India has decided to extend the ceasefire with the Nagaland militants for another year. This, in effect, is the upshot of the visit by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's special emissary K Padmanabhaiah and Intelligence Bureau (IB) director Shyamal Dutta to Amsterdam where they recently held prolonged discussions with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah). Represented by Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah, it is the only warring group fighting for '"free Naga" cause that India acknowledges. Padmanabhaiah, who recently replaced Swaraj Kaushal for the job deemed crucial by successive governments, and the IB chief returned to New Delhi on Monday evening after talking with the NSCN representatives for two days. Observers, however, point out that the modalities of the fresh ceasefire (the existing one ends on July 31) are yet to be worked out and this fact alone may complicate things for the two sides. The NSCN, for one, has been told that as the general elections in India were round the corner, the caretaker Vajpayee government was not in a position to commit itself on several issues dogging the two sides. A crucial unresolved issue ever since the ceasefire was declared two years ago is the area to be covered under the ceasefire. Theoretically, and according to the Indian government's official stand, the affected areas includes only Nagaland. But the NSCN vehemently disagrees with the government's stand and wants all "Naga-inhabited" areas - these include parts of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh- covered under the ceasefire. It was for this reason that the NSCN often accused the security forces in these three states.

KOHIMA, July 26: The grand old man of the Naga political movement and vice-chairman of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN( (Isak-Muivah), Khodao Yanthan, has returned to Nagaland after a prolonged self-imposed "exile" in London, a spokesman of the organisation said. The return of the 83-year-old Yanthan, a closed associate of the legendary A Z Phizo, is significant in view of the ongoing peace talks and the recent visit of NSCN(I-M) top leaders Isak Chishi Swu and T. Muivah. (PTI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 27, 1999)

MUMBAI, July 27: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP on Tuesday lambasted Swaraj Kaushal, the former central government interlocutor in the Naga peace talks. The party has accused him of exceeding his brief. PB Acharya, BJP national secretary in charge of the Northeast states, lashed out at Kaushal saying that Kaushal was an interlocutor of the government in the Naga peace talks and "not the government itself". Taking exception to the article written by Kaushal wherein he had said that the Prime Minister had not respected him for his words, Acharya said that the decision of Kaushal to extend the ceasefire agreement beyond Nagaland had dangerous implications. (HT Correspondent; The Hindustan Times; New Delhi; July 28, 1999)