The meeting was taking place, after a gap of three months, in the presence of a Dutch mediator who works for a Hague-based conflict resolution group, the rebels said.

"The talks are very crucial for the peace process to continue," said Phungthing Shimranga, a senior leader of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM).

A ceasefire, which expires in July in the region, "is now in its 10th year and people are getting edgy with no solution reached as yet," he said.

New Delhi entered into the ceasefire with the separatist group in 1997.

The Naga rebels, who are seeking to carve out a "Greater Nagaland" in the northeast, have accused New Delhi of dragging its feet in seeking a resolution of the revolt.

Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes headed the government side at the talks while the rebels were led by self-exiled guerrilla leader Thuingaleng Muivah.

"They're looking for a solution to the problem and it's up to the government of India to expedite the process," senior NSCN-IM leader Phungthing Shimrang said.

The two sides met in Amsterdam last December in a bid to resolve the group's 60-year-old drive for a "Greater Nagaland" which seeks to encompass large swathes of territory in India's northeast.