ASEAN countries to send peace monitors to Aceh<\/p>\n
Jason Gutierrez, Agence France-Presse\/Vientiane<\/p>\n
Southeast Asian countries have agreed to join a peace monitoring
\nmission in Indonesia's Aceh province in a move which could lead
\nto a more formalized regional conflict-monitoring system,
\nofficials said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said he made a
\nformal request to colleagues from the Association of Southeast
\nAsian Nations (ASEAN) to help monitor a peace deal to be signed
\nAug. 15 with separatist rebels.<\/p>\n
He said some nations gave \"firm commitments\" to supply
\nmonitors in Indonesia's westernmost province. The Free Aceh
\nMovement (GAM) and the government are due to sign the deal ending
\nalmost 30 years of guerrilla insurgency.<\/p>\n
\"So far, countries from ASEAN that we have asked to contribute
\nto the Aceh peace monitoring mission have expressed their
\nwillingness,\" Hassan told AFP, naming Singapore, Malaysia,
\nThailand, Brunei and the Philippines.<\/p>\n
Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon told reporters
\nhis country was prepared to commit about 20 to 40 monitors,
\n\"depending on requests.\"<\/p>\n
His Philippine counterpart, Alberto Romulo, said the mechanics
\nof the mission would be finalized at a meeting of ASEAN officials
\non Aug. 1-2 in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The meeting could be a step towards an \"ASEAN-wide Indonesian-
\nled peace monitoring mission\" that could be deployed to other
\nmember states in the future, Romulo said.<\/p>\n
Foreign monitors were first deployed to Aceh under a short-
\nlived cease-fire agreed in 2002. But a few dozen unarmed monitors
\nfrom Thailand and the Philippines were forced to withdraw amid
\nescalating violence.<\/p>\n
Malaysia and Brunei have also supplied about 60 military
\npersonnel to monitor a fragile cease-fire between Manila and the
\nseparatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front.<\/p>\n
Indonesia last year proposed that ASEAN set up its own
\npeacekeeping force as part of the ASEAN Security Community, the
\n10-nation bloc's general pledge to live in peace.<\/p>\n
But there has been little further talk of the idea. Singapore
\nexpressed reservations, arguing that ASEAN is not a security or
\ndefense organization, while Vietnam was also reportedly cool to
\nthe proposal.<\/p>\n
Hassan acknowledged that some nations had expressed
\n\"sensitivities\" about such a move.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said
\nthe proposed multilateral Aceh mission would be a sign of the
\nregion's willingness to deal with such problems.<\/p>\n
\"It's increasingly becoming the norm that ASEAN countries
\nassist one another in such an undertaking. It shows that ASEAN is
\nincreasingly becoming more mature in its capacity in dealing with
\nsecurity issues,\" Marty said.<\/p>\n
The European Union (EU) has also committed to send monitors.
\nDetails would be firmed up when EU foreign policy chief Javier
\nSolana attends ASEAN's regional security forum here on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The monitors would oversee the decommissioning and destruction
\nof weapons that would be surrendered by GAM, as well as the
\npeaceful withdrawal of the Indonesian forces from the region,
\nMarty said.<\/p>\n
Hassan on Wednesday met New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff
\nin bilateral talks that also focused on Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"I think that it is very important that the EU and the
\ncountries in ASEAN will contribute a monitoring organization as
\npart of confidence-building that will help achieve the outcome
\nthat the Indonesian government and negotiators of GAM are looking
\nforward to,\" Goff told reporters.<\/p>",
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