Vajpayee in Nagaland to boost peace efforts

Vajpayee, the first prime minister to visit the state bordering Myanmar in six years, will meet state leaders as he tries to bridge the gap between Indian negotiators and National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) guerrillas.

He flew into Nagaland's trading hub of Dimapur but bad weather forced him to abandon a helicopter flight to the state capital Kohima.

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Vajpayee instead was driven by car on the 100-kilometre (62-mile) road to Kohima, an official accompanying him said.

The main faction of the NSCN, the most influential of the 30 or so rebel groups in Nagaland, resisted decades of military action by India but entered an uneasy truce with New Delhi in 1997.

The separatist unrest began with India's independence in 1947 and has claimed around 25,000 lives.

During his maiden visit to the state of two million people, Vajpayee will meet state leaders, launch Nagaland's first mobile telephone service and meet local tribal delegations.