Kohima: Launching the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) 'CellOne' mobile service in Nagaland, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on October 27 expressed the hope that the "distances" in the ongoing talks between the major Naga outfit National Socialist Council of Nagaland – Issac/Muivah (NSCN-IM) and the Centre would be removed to create peace and accelerate development in the region.

Talking to Communications Minister Arun Shourie in Delhi through the new service, Vajpayee said that his message today was, "Let the talks continue. Let the dialogue proceed. Let distances be removed. Let confidence be built and let us together create peace and accelerate the development."

Vajpayee told Shourie over phone that he did not know much as to how mobile phone technology worked, but he knew that "it is all about connecting people. It is all about removing distances and it is all about making life better."

Thanking the Prime Minister for taking special interest in developing communication technology in North East, Shourie said India has been the fastest growing telecom market in the world.

Nagaland is the third state in North East to get the mobile phone service, the first being Assam and the second Meghalaya.

Shourie, who was earlier the Minister for the North East development, told the people of Nagaland, "The faster you bring peace to the North East, you will see this (NDA) government will spare no effort to help develop Nagaland."

PTI