WC-NNPG, NSCN (IM) meeting concludes; Council of Naga Relationships and Cooperation to be formed

• The groups agreed to form Council of Naga Relationships and Cooperation
• Rev. Dr. Wati Aier says they will hold meeting often

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Oct. 19 (EMN): In another significant development, the Working Committee, Naga National Political Groups (WC-NNPG) and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN)/ (NSCN-IM) have agreed to form a Council of Naga Relationships and Cooperation (CNRC) in an attempt to explore ways to seal a final settlement to the protracted Naga political issue.

The decision was taken during a two-day meeting in Kolkata between the delegations of the two groups under the initiative of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR).

An update signed by the convenor of WC-NNPG, N Kitovi Zhimomi, and the vice president of NSCN (IM), Tongmeth Wangnao, stated that the meeting was convened on October 17 and the 18th with a renewed spirit of commitment in view of the “Naga people’s yearning for reconciliation and unity in purpose”.

‘Taking forward the September Joint Accordant’s resolve to ‘chart a path forward’, we have agreed to form the Council of Naga Relationships and Cooperation led by the Convenor of WC-NNPG and Chairman of NSCN (IM) to explore, at the earliest, realistic ways for Nagas to move forward on the basis of Naga historical and political rights,’ read the update.

‘Understanding the urgency to rise above our present condition, the WC-NNPG and the NSCN (IM) are committing ourselves to the values of Truth, Forgiveness, Justice, and Peace as the discerning power to help us choose a shared future over the divisions of the past. We urge the Naga public to jointly participate and support this process of shaping and building this future together,’ it added.

The Kolkata meeting was held after the two Naga political groups (NPGs) signed a Joint Accordant on September 14, wherein the two parties resolved to honour the “Covenant of Reconciliation” (CoR) of June 13 2009, in letter and in spirit; to work together in the spirit of love; and desist from all forms of armed violence and refrain from indulging in violence of words through print and on social media.

In the Joint Accordant, the two groups had expressed their commitment to find ways to transcend their differences through co-operation and dialogue in order to move forward, while appealling “to all individuals and organisations to refrain from all forms of rhetoric, assumptions and agenda that are divisive”.

The meeting in September was also initiated by the FNR.

Rev. Dr. Wati Aier on next meeting

Convenor of FNR, Rev. Dr. Wati Aier, told Eastern Mirror a day after the Kolkata meeting that ‘they have decided to meet for an extended period and not just for one or two-hour meeting as such short meetings don’t bear much fruit’.

“We have paved the way for future co-operation and relationships as we have agreed (during Kolkata meeting), and accordingly, we will meet quite often though we haven’t fixed the date for the next meeting yet,” he said.

“We want to meet by not keeping a long gap; that is our intention,” he added.