Guwahati: The banned ULFA has never shown a positive response to the government's peace initiatives through direct talks, Assam Governor Lt Gen (retd) Ajai Singh said today (Jan 26, 2007).

In his Republic Day address at the official function here today Singh said, "the ULFA's agreeing to talk through the People's Consultative Group with the government of India in 2005 appears to be motivated".

"They had actually regrouped and consolidated their weak positions to some extent by taking advantage of the ceasefire during the period of such indirect talks. They have never shown a positive response to the Government's peace initiatives through direct talks", the governor said.

He said the administration was determined to put down all kinds of terrorist violence with a firm hand.

"However, the Prime Minister had reiterated while visiting Assam (recently) that door for such direct talks is still open provided the outfit shuns violence and shows positive response to the peace initiatives," he pointed out.

The central and Assam governments had been inviting the ULFA and other insurgent groups for negotiated settlement of their demands through direct talks, Singh said.

For combating insurgency and providing security to the people, the governor said, "A two-pronged strategy had been adopted by the State Government counter-insurgency measures against militant groups and secondly a peaceful negotiated settlement with willing insurgent groups."

Stating remarkable success was achieved by the security forces in anti-insurgency operations, he said, "In counter- insurgency operation in 2006 the most noticeable feature is return of a good number of misguided youths to the social mainstream".