Guwahati: With its back virtually broken in the Bhutanese Army operations, the outlawed separatist organisation United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) today (Dec 27, 2003) offered conditional talks with the Centre through a neutral mediator on its demand for sovereignty.

In a statement that appeared in a local daily today, ULFA "commander-in-chief" Paresh Baruah said his outfit was ready for peace negotiations with New Delhi on its main demand of sovereignty with a "neutral third party mediator" acting as a facilitator.

Demanding that the neutral third party had to be a "nation state", he said mediators from within India were unwelcome, as "we cannot trust them to be neutral".

"We are keen on any scientific talk process, by which we can make a beginning in achieving our demands or find that there is scope for making progress. But the talks need to centre around the question of sovereignty. New Delhi must demonstrate its sincerity. It can argue its point of view on our demands in direct talks in case we meet," he said.

Baruah said the outfit had been repeatedly requesting Bhutan Government to act as a mediator between it and the Indian Government and convince New Delhi to agree to focus its discussions on "our main demand for sovereignty. Bhutan sought time from us on this."

Earlier yesterday, ULFA ideologue Bhimkanta Burhagohain was the outfit's first leader who had offered peace talks with the Government and asked cadres to lay down arms.

Burhagohain had said, "ULFA must come to an understanding with the Government of India to come to the negotiating table and resolve the matter completely."