Aceh rebel group criticizes peace talk facilitators<\/p>\n
Jerry Norton, Reuters\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
The military wing of rebels in Aceh province has lashed out at
\nthe group trying to facilitate a peace agreement between the
\nseparatists and the government on the eve of talks aimed at
\nnegotiating a settlement.<\/p>\n
A third round of Indonesian government-GAM (Free Aceh
\nMovement) negotiations that began in January is due to start in
\nHelsinki on Tuesday with the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI)
\ngroup acting as facilitators in an effort to end three decades of
\nbloodshed between the two sides.<\/p>\n
A statement from the GAM military command said the Finland-
\nbased CMI described the talks as aiming for a settlement of the
\nconflict within the framework of special autonomy.<\/p>\n
The military command said \"GAM is shocked and dismayed\" by CMI
\nreferences to special autonomy. Special autonomy is the phrase
\nJakarta uses to describe proposals it says would grant Aceh a
\nlarge degree of freedom but retain ultimate Indonesian
\nsovereignty.<\/p>\n
\"GAM has never agreed that the conflict will or should be
\nresolved within the framework of special autonomy,\" the military
\ncommand said in its statement, dated on Saturday but received by
\nReuters on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\"We want to continue these negotiations, but will not do so if
\nthey are merely a means of forcing us to swallow an unpalatable
\nmeal of fake autonomy and continued military occupation,\" it
\nadded.<\/p>\n
The statement asked that as an indication of good will
\n\"negotiators held in the jails of Java be released\" but does not
\nsay what will happen if they are not.<\/p>\n
GAM has been fighting a simmering rebellion against the
\nIndonesian government for nearly 30 years, with at least 12,000
\nestimated to have died in the fighting, many of them civilians.<\/p>\n
Both sides accuse the other of human rights violations and
\ndeliberate killing of non-combatants, with Indonesia's military
\ntaking the brunt of the blame from human rights groups, although
\nit denies the charges.<\/p>\n
During the last round of talks in February, GAM proposed \"self
\ngovernment\" in return for dropping its 30-year-old fight for
\nAcehnese independence. Defining just what that means is expected
\nto be a key subject of this week's negotiations.<\/p>\n
One factor that has helped bring the two sides together was
\nthe Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunami, which devastated Aceh and left
\nnearly 130,000 Indonesians dead and more than 500,000 homeless.<\/p>\n
Despite informal declarations of cease-fires from the two
\nsides since the disaster, there have been sporadic bloody
\nskirmishes.
\nGAM's political leaders, the key players in the Helsinki
\nnegotiations, are largely based in Stockholm, Sweden. Some
\nanalysts question the strength of their control over the fighters
\nin Aceh, a staunchly Muslim province with a long tradition of
\nopposing central authority.<\/p>\n
Full independence for Aceh would mean Indonesia would lose a
\nprovince rich in energy resources. It might also set a precedent
\nfor other restless areas of the sprawling archipelago country to
\ndemand similar treatment.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aceh-rebel-group-criticizes-peace-talk-facilitators-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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