NEW DELHI (AFP) - The Indian government on Saturday signed a pact with one of India's oldest rebel groups to end militant violence in the restive northeastern state of Assam and pave the way for peace talks. The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), the largest separatist outfit in Assam, is seeking an autonomous ethnic region the state, but within the Indian union. Under the agreement, signed by representatives of the national and Assam governments and ULFA, the guerrilla group vowed not to stage any attacks while the search for a political resolution to the dispute was underway. The government also promised not to take any military action against ULFA members. The accord came a month after ULFA, which has been fighting for a homeland for ethnic Assamese since 1979, set out its demands in the first formal peace talks with the government. The group announced a unilateral ceasefire in July. The agreement "is the harbinger for future talks," India's Home Affairs Joint Secretary for the northeast, Shambhu Singh, told reporters in New Delhi.