The secret conclave was held in an undisclosed location in Amsterdam between March 24-27. The NSCN chairman, Issac Swu and general secretary, TH Muivah were present during the meetings during which both sides reiterated their known positions on the Nagaland issue and the demand for a sovereign state.

Kaushal, a Rajya Sabha MP and former Mizoram governor is expected to brief Vajpayee on the negotiations later this week to convey NSCN's viewpoint. The Netherlands meeting follows earlier rounds of negotiations held by the same team in Geneva in July 29 last year.

On that occasion the NSCN(I/M) haddemanded a meeting with the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and threatened to break-off talks saying that there was no progress. Swaraj recommended that a meeting be arranged and the Prime Minister met Muivah and Swu in Paris last September, following which the NSCN(I/M) agreed to continue talks. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Principal Secretary, Brajesh Mishra and the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Shaymal Dutta for the meeting.

Top-level sources handling the negotiations say that the NSCN(I/M) had earlier formally rejected talks with government officials saying that they wanted a ``credible political commitment.'' Fearing that the cease-fire in force in Nagaland would be called off, the government had re-constituted its team of mediators, with Kaushal as its chief.

It is understood that the travel arrangements for the NSCN(I/M) leaders were made by the government. A government spokesman firmly refuted claims that the NSCN(I/M) had in a fax to Kaushal called off negotiations.