Assam ready for truce with rebels

GUWAHATI, India, Sunday (AFP) - The northeastern Indian state of Assam said it was ready for a ceasefire with a powerful separatist group to end nearly three decades of insurgency in the remote region.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi said he was willing to sign a ceasefire treaty with the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) if the outfit reciprocates the offer in the oil-rich state.

"I am extending a hand of friendship to the ULFA and would also except them to do the same. We are willing to sign a ceasefire agreement with the ULFA and try and settle the problem through peace talks," he said in Assam's main city of Guwahati.

The ULFA, a frontline rebel group in the region which has been fighting for an independent Assamese homeland since 1979, has so far not reacted to the offer.

A two-week cessation of security operations against the ULFA began last Saturday with the Assam government offering free movement of rebels to visit their homes."This is a goodwill gesture from our side and if the response is positive we might even extend the deadline."

ULFA in October held landmark talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi to pave the way for a bilateral ceasefire. More than 15,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in Assam since the ULFA's launch in 1979.