Guwahati: Experts at a Unicode working group meeting in London have agreed that characters similar in Bengali and Assamese languages but having identity only as Bengali in Unicode can also be given a separate identity as Assamese.

The working group, which is meeting in London, is part of a joint technical committee of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). It can take the final call on giving a separate code chart to a language in Unicode, which is used in most computers.

The development, a significant one in the long struggle of Assamese for a separate identity in the US-based Unicode Consortium, took place on the second day of the working group meeting on Tuesday.

The experts also agreed to give new codes to Assamese characters which are not present in Unicode.

"During the discussions, the experts agreed to allot new codes to characters (Assamese) not having any codes at present. All similar characters in both languages having identity only as Bengali can be also given identity as Assamese characters," Shikhar Sarma, the only member from India in the expert group, told The Telegraph over phone from London.

Sarma, a professor of the IT department of Gauhati University, who has been actively pursuing the issue since 2008, said, "It seems it will head towards a feasible solution as discussions resulted in ways that gives identities to Assamese characters and symbols."

Sarma said debates, cross-questioning and justifications were part of the proceedings on the second day.

This is the first time the issue has reached the international forum and official discussions held. Experts from Assam, Bureau of Indian Standards, Assam government and Asam Sahitya Sabha representatives also participated in the meeting. The Sabha was represented by its president Paramananda Rajbongshi and former president Dhruba Jyoti Borah.

"As this group participated in the meeting to impress and press upon the ISO and Unicode officials, they successfully removed the loggerheads. Members gathered here have put forward their opinion on how best the issue could be solved and it seems the meeting is paving the way for accommodating the Assamese identity," Sarma said.

The meeting will continue till Friday. Small group discussions and expert analysis are being carried out at present.

Sarma said the meeting may in all likelihood form an official, small ad hoc committee to look at the final framework on this issue. He said more outcomes will be clearer after the closing plenary meetings.