Government interlocutor K Padamanabaiah on Monday said leaders of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah, will arrive in New Delhi from Hauge and Oslo late on Wednesday night.

The leaders are visiting the country to hold peace talks with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his deputy Lal Kishenchand Advani.

Talking to rediff.com Padmanabaiah said, "Time for the meetings has not been finalised. The two are arriving by separate flights at 2000 IST and 2300 IST," he said.

Asked if the NSCN leaders would visit Nagaland, Padamanabaiah said the details of their itinerary would be made know as soon as they are finalised.

He said it is confirmed that both leaders will stay in Delhi for at least a week. "I would not say that some kind of agreement would be signed during their visit to New Delhi. This is not on the agenda right now. They are coming here essentially to hold peace talks. What course these talks take would depend upon number of factors," he added.

Padmanabaiah has been holding talks with the NSCN (I-M) leaders on behalf of government of India in Bangkok and other venues.

The two NSCN leaders had also met Vajpayee during his trips to Europe last year, where he had told them to come to India for talks.

The NSCN top brass were scheduled to come to India during the last week of December, but postponed their trip after their travel documents could not be delivered to them on time.

The government of India had not renewed the ban on NSCN when it expired in November 2002 and had also withdrawn the look out notice against the two leaders.

The Nagaland government had withdrawn cases registered against the two leaders in the state to facilitate their visit.

But the Manipur government has not lifted the ban. Manipur is against the NSCN (I-M) demand for a greater Nagaland involving the merger of some districts of Manipur, which the NSCN (I-M) maintain are Naga dominated. 

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