Kohima, January 19: Hundreds of Nagas from the entire North Eastern region are expected to attend the crucial two-day �Naga People�s Convention� at NSCN (IM) headquarters �Hebron� near Dimapur, which begins tomorrow as an exercise to arrive at consensus on the contentious Naga political issue.

The convention will take place before the second round of official talks between the underground group and the Centre in New Delhi early next month, the outfit sources said.

Since their arrival in Nagaland last month, NSCN (IM) top guns Issac Chishi Swu and Th Muivah held series of �consultative meetings� separately with individuals, tribal leaders, representatives of NGOs, civil rights group, students� organisation and churches at council headquarters.

According to political observers, the two-day convention is likely to give the duo the mandate of the Naga people on substantive issues to be taken up with Government of India for finding a lasting solution to the vexed political conflict.

NSCN (IM) has invited at least two representatives from each Naga village of Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, office bearers of all Naga tribal Hohos (apex councils), Naga NGOs and civil society groups and Naga churches of all denominations and made elaborate arrangement at Hebron camp to accommodate the invitees, sources said.

Although other North Eastern state governments had already made known their position on Nagas� demand for an integrated �homeland�, the Neiphiu Rio-led Democratic Alliance government already said no solution could be hammered out without integrating the contiguous Naga-inhabited areas of the region.

Meanwhile, clarifying its stand on Naga political issue, apex church organisation Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC), in a statement, asserted that understanding and re-conciliation among the warring Naga underground groups are most important for finding lasting peace in the state.

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