Guwahati, Jan. 13: Ulfa?s top gun, ?commander-in-chief? Paresh Barua, today broke his silence on his illness, which had kept him incommunicado for nearly a month. His move also flashed a signal of hope for the peace process.

Barua made a telephone call to writer Mamoni Raisom Goswami, announcing that he was ?recovering? after a highly publicised bout of illness.

Barua?s telephone call to Goswami at her New Delhi residence is the first since Ulfa chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa announced on December 17 that Barua was ?seriously ill?. Hopefully, this will end all speculation regarding his health.

?I am very relieved and happy now. Though we did not spend a long time speaking, I now know that he is OK and we can restart the process (of starting a dialogue between the Ulfa and the Centre),? Goswami said. She, however, added that she did not inquire about the nature of his illness.

Stating that no timeframe has been set to get the process back on the rails, Goswami said, ?He is recovering. I?ll wait till he is fully fit.?

Goswami?s efforts to persuade the outfit to talk peace had received a major setback when Rajkhowa broke the news of Barua?s illness.

The writer said she has also been encouraged by chief minister Tarun Gogoi?s assurance that his government will help her through ?all possible means? to start a peace process.

?We met in Jorhat recently and he was very positive in his attitude,? Goswami said, referring to the chief minister.

Goswami, however, added that she was not in touch with the Prime Minister?s Office (PMO). This was ?deliberate?, she added, as ?everything was very fluid. Now that Paresh is recovering, I can move ahead once again?.

Barua?s conversation with Goswami ? who is performing the role of an unofficial mediator between Delhi and the outfit ? came a day after a powerful explosion injured 11 persons in Jorhat. Police suspect the Ulfa?s involvement in the blast.

Goswami, however, said she did not put any question regarding the Jorhat explosion to the Ulfa leader.

Deputy inspector-general of police (eastern range) Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta today reviewed the security situation in Jorhat following last evening?s blast, adds our correspondent from Jorhat.

The condition of two of the injured, including a 9-year-old girl, is stated to be still critical.

The blast marred Bihu celebrations in the Upper Assam town, with residents hurriedly returning home and shops and business establishments downing shutters early in the evening.