Imphal, Feb. 26: The banned United National Liberation Front (UNLF) today reiterated its demand for involving the United Nations to achieve a solution to Manipur?s armed conflict. The outfit had earlier issued a four-point proposal in this connection.
Manipur governor S.S. Sidhu was recently quoted in an Imphal-based daily as saying that the ?involvement of a third party is not always a good idea?.
But the assistant publicity secretary of the outfit?s central committee, in a communiqu?, insisted that the involvement of the United Nations was essential. The UNLF functionary was not identified.
The governor?s reported remark came in response to the UNLF?s proposal for holding a plebiscite under the aegis of the United Nations.
?The UNLF agrees that involvement of a third party is not a good idea ... but there are times when involvement of a third party becomes essential in resolving intractable international conflicts,? the outfit claimed.
The communiqu? maintained that the ?Manipur-India conflict? had all the attributes of being an international conflict. After ?forcibly annexing Manipur?, Delhi had been using military force for more than 40 years. Stating that the conflict situation merited involvement of a third party, the UNLF said the third party it had proposed was not any single country, but the UN, the highest international body.
?The four-point proposal for a plebiscite is a comprehensive formula to resolve the Manipur-India conflict once and for all. As such, the components of the proposal, such as involvement of the United Nations, cannot be treated separately,? the UNLF said.
Agreeing fully with the governor?s assertion that peace was needed for development, the UNLF, however, said the roadblock was ?Indian occupation of Manipur?.
The communiqu? further stated that the Centre?s ?look east? policy would benefit Manipur, but claimed that there would not be much gain in economic terms.
The militant outfit added that on closer scrutiny, the Indian policy also had the country?s security interests as an undercurrent. This was being inserted into the changing geopolitical equations in the region, it said.
