Zoramthanga claims Khaplang willing to meet him for peace

talks Aizawl, Sep 2 (PTI) Mizo National Front (MNF) presidentZoramthanga today claimed that he had contacted NSCN (I-M)supremo Shangwang Shangyung Khaplang through messengers andthe 76-year-old Naga militant leader agreed to meet him. Addressing party workers at the MNF office here, heclaimed that both the Centre and the Myanmar government had"urged" him to contact Khaplang so that peace negotiationscould be initiated with the NSCN faction camping in Myanmar. "Though the Indian and Myanmar governments asked me totalk to Khaplang, I did not approach him directly withoutknowing if he was willing to meet me," the former Mizoramchief minister said, adding that the Naga underground leadertold the messenger that he was willing to arrange such ameeting. A recent media report had claimed that neither the PMO northe Ministry of Home Affairs had asked the former MNFunderground leader to contact Khaplang and it was used byother political parties, including the ruling Congress inMizoram, to slam Zoramthanga. The Congress, quoting the news report, had alleged thatZoramthanga himself was lobbying for his appointment as aninterlocutor in the ongoing peace talks with the insurgentgroups in Assam. To this, Zoramthanga today retorted that "a securityofficer in the PMO" would not be knowing of the peace missionas only he and National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval wereinvolved in it. He said none among the MHA, NIA, IB and RAW or the ForeignMinister would know of the peace mission. Zoramthanga claimed that he and Doval recently attendedthe ceremony of signing of the ceasefire agreement between theMyanmar government and the ethnic-based insurgent outfits atNaypidaw. PTI HCV MM SUSRC