Aceh peace talks clouded by situation on the ground<\/p>\n
Agencies
\nHelsinki\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
As a fourth day of Aceh peace talks got under way in Helsinki on
\nFriday, Aceh rebels called the negotiations \"constructive\" but
\nsaid they were unhappy about Indonesian troops continuing to pour
\ninto the region.<\/p>\n
\"Yesterday (Thursday) we had direct talks with the Indonesian
\ndelegation that were very constructive... We had an open,
\nfriendly discussion and I think we can come to some
\nunderstanding,\" said the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)'s Stockholm-
\nbased spokesman, Bakhtiar Abdullah.<\/p>\n
\"There is a mutual understanding of what is on the table (but)
\na final agreement has yet to be reached,\" he told AFP before the
\nfourth day of talks began.<\/p>\n
But Abdullah said the GAM delegation was troubled by the
\nIndonesian Military (TNI)'s decision on Thursday to send another
\n3,000 troops into the province.<\/p>\n
\"This will create more tension for the victims of the
\ntsunami,\" which killed more than 126,000 people in Aceh last
\nDecember, Abdullah said.<\/p>\n
\"The problem is that when the troops come they never leave,\"
\nhe added.<\/p>\n
During the first day of talks on Tuesday, GAM asked Jakarta to
\ncall a cease-fire, but Indonesian officials both at home and in
\nHelsinki merely shrugged off the suggestion.<\/p>\n
\"Our view is that the termination of the conflict should
\nreally be permanent. A cease-fire is not permanent,\" chief
\nsecurity minister Widodo Adisucipto said in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian delegation said on Friday GAM's proposal for
\nself-government was reasonable, and was optimistic an agreement
\ncould be reached on the enforcement of a future peace deal.<\/p>\n
\"Some of the proposals are reasonable, some need to be
\ndiscussed and some we might ... have to reject. Overall it's
\ngreat,\" Minister of Communications and Information Sofyan Djalil
\ntold Reuters.<\/p>\n
\"The only problem is what they demand may not all be fulfilled
\nby the government, and I think they understand it,\" he added.<\/p>\n
A smiling Sofyan gave reporters the thumbs up when leaving for
\nthe fourth day of peace talks aiming to end the near-three decade
\nconflict, saying: \"We are going to solve this problem.\"<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono insisted on
\nFriday that the government would never allow Aceh to separate
\nfrom the rest of Indonesia, but said a government plan to give
\nthe province a greater say in running its affairs must be
\nimplemented.<\/p>\n
\"The unitary state of the Indonesian republic must be
\nmaintained and the Red and White flag must fly (in Aceh),\" he
\nsaid in a speech to government security advisers.<\/p>\n
Susilo, a retired Army general, said the government's policy
\nof \"special autonomy\" for Aceh must be enforced. Rebel
\nnegotiators have said they prefer the term \"self-government\" to
\n\"special autonomy\".<\/p>\n
While the details of both plans are not yet clear, Susilo's
\nuse of the term indicates the government is unwilling to meet the
\nrebels' request, and the issue could be a sticking point in the
\ntalks.<\/p>\n
Vice President Jusuf Kalla said talks were concentrating on
\nthe two terms, which he claimed meant \"essentially the same
\nthing, the only difference being the words\". Other areas of
\ndiscussion were future economic arrangements between Jakarta and
\nAceh, he told reporters.<\/p>\n
In January, the two sides met face-to-face for the first time
\nsince the peace process collapsed in 2003, when the TNI launched
\na major offensive against insurgents that has since killed about
\n3,000 people<\/p>\n
A second round of talks was held in late February. Each have
\nbeen held in Helsinki.<\/p>",
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