NEW DELHI, July 25: Prime Minister I K Gujral announced in the Parliament today that insurgent groups in Nagaland had agreed to a three-month cease-fire from August 1 during which they will hold political discussions with the Government.

Making identical statements in both Houses of Parliament this evening, the Prime Minister said that the agreement follows his offer of peace talks without prior conditions with the insurgent groups. He had made the offer during his week-long visit to the North-East shortly after assuming office.

Gujral identified the groups which will be involved in the negotiations as both the Isaac-Muviah group and the Khaplong group of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, the Federal Naga Group and the National Council of Nagaland.

In reply to questions after his statement, the Prime Minister said that the government had initiated a similar process of dialogue in other troubled states in the North-East. He added that he did not wish to comment on these efforts at this stage. The Issac-Muivah group was carrying out insurgency in neighbouring Manipur and certain parts of Assam. The cease-fire pertains only to Nagaland, Gujral said. Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma and leaders of major political parties, including Madhukar Sarpotdar (Shiv Sena), Rajesh Pilot and Paban Singh Ghatowar (both Congress) and Lakshminarayan Pandey (BJP), hailed the government initiative saying it would usher in peace in the North-East.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.