Dutchman becomes witness to peace in Aceh<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
This month is another historic moment for peace in Indonesia's
\nprovince of Aceh.<\/p>\n
It has been identified by two opposing sides -- the Indonesian
\ngovernment and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) -- as the starting
\npoint for the demilitarization process, as mandated by the peace
\npact signed by the two parties in Helsinki on Aug. 15.<\/p>\n
The three-month process of demilitarization, which, it is
\nhoped, will end the decades-long bloodshed in Aceh, could well
\nbecome the center of attention for the international community.<\/p>\n
The presence of no fewer than 150 representatives of the
\nEuropean Union peace mission is boosted by 100 members from ASEAN
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
Dutch diplomat Pieter Feith, who served as a NATO mediator in
\nthe Balkans, has been chosen to lead the EU mission in Aceh -- a
\nmandate that has given him a two-fold challenge.<\/p>\n
It is a part of history that the Dutch waged a long painful
\nwar from 1873 to 1903 in the territory. It was a war the Dutch
\nnever really won, and, instead, became a critical reference point
\nfor the Acehnese anticolonial struggle.<\/p>\n
So for Feith, who has maintained a personal approach to
\ndealing with conflicting parties, and has maintained the approach
\nof negotiation as the best philosophy, such a mandate is also
\nconsidered a test as to whether his Dutch roots will contribute
\nto turning a series of ordeals in Aceh into a lasting piece.<\/p>\n
\"I think they are not going to support the peace accord
\nbecause of my blue eyes or because they like me so much. They
\nwill stick to it because peace is in their own interests,\" said
\nFeith.<\/p>\n
Pieter Cornelis Feith was born on Feb. 9, 1945, in
\nRotterdam. He is currently a close adviser to EU foreign policy
\nchief Javier Solana and holds the position of deputy director for
\npolitical and military affairs in the General Secretariat of the
\nEuropean Union.<\/p>\n
Political science student<\/p>\n
Young Feith graduated from high school in his hometown in the
\nNetherlands. He decided to continue his studies abroad and
\nreceived a degree in political science from the University of
\nLausanne in Switzerland. In 1970, he received another degree from
\nthe Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in
\nMassachusetts, the U.S.<\/p>\n
His diplomatic career began in the foreign ministry of the
\nNetherlands in 1970. He held posts abroad in Bonn, Khartoum,
\nDamascus and New York, before being named the second-most senior
\nofficial in the Dutch delegation to NATO.<\/p>\n
It was during his tenure with NATO that Feith, a first
\nlieutenant in the Netherlands Marine Corps Reserve, became
\ninvolved in the Balkans crisis.<\/p>\n
Beginning with his appointment as political adviser to NATO's
\ncommand in Bosnia in 1995, he was then put in charge of managing
\nNATO's operations in the Balkans from 1998 to 2001, and became a
\nspecial representative of then NATO Secretary-General Lord
\nRobertson.<\/p>\n
In that capacity, Feith served as a mediator in Macedonia and
\nmanaged to initiate the negotiations that led to the Ohrid peace
\naccord to curb the civil war involving ethnic Albanian rebels and
\nthe government troops.<\/p>\n
Mediation in Kosovo<\/p>\n
Feith also made a contribution to dealing with the Kosovo
\ncrisis, including the deployment of peacekeeping forces in Kosovo
\n(KFOR) in 1999, to enable over 890,000 displaced persons to
\nreturn to their homes.<\/p>\n
He did not stop at that point, though.<\/p>\n
Feith began to create a \"blueprint\" for Kosovo's future as he
\nconsidered that the refugee issues and province-wide elections
\nremained problems for the country.<\/p>\n
The \"blueprint\" would have to create the Federal Republic of
\nYugoslavia (FRY) consisting of three republics: Serbia,
\nMontenegro and Kosovo, whose status would lie somewhere in
\nbetween autonomy and full independence.<\/p>\n
The establishment of a civil authority and administration is
\nanother challenge.<\/p>\n
He also provided suggestions to the NATO secretary-general and
\nNorth Atlantic Council on how to take action in settling the
\nconflict in the Balkans, especially after the presence of SFOR,
\nthe Stabilization Force, responsible for peacekeeping in Bosnia
\nand Herzegovina.<\/p>\n
It is clear that Feith has been chosen to lead the team in
\nAceh to address issues that are similar to those he faced in the
\nBalkans: the decommissioning of arms by the Acehnese resistance
\nand the withdrawal of central government troops.<\/p>\n
But he will not stop there.<\/p>\n
He will closely monitor social and political developments in
\nthe province, which were badly devastated by the tsunami last
\nyear, in which around 131,000 residents were killed.<\/p>\n
Reintegration<\/p>\n
His responsibilities will mean he has to deal with assisting
\nformer GAM guerrillas to reintegrate into society, support a
\ngenuine democracy that enables Acehnese to hold local legislative
\nelections and monitor human rights issues.<\/p>\n
An estimated 15,000 people have been killed during the course
\nof the conflict between the government and GAM, which started in
\n1976.<\/p>\n
\"My team and I wish to ensure that the whole process will
\nbecome self-sustaining before we recommend an end to our presence
\nin Aceh,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Some eyebrows have been raised, though, with some Jakarta-
\nbased politicians and military people questioning Feith's
\ncommitment to maintaining a united Republic of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Feith just smiles in response to such comments.<\/p>\n
\"I certainly cannot promote separation in Aceh or anywhere
\nelse. The European Union's foreign policy is clear: we are
\nsupposed to keep nations together, not support separatism.<\/p>\n
\"We need to deal with current global challenges, like fighting
\nterrorism, rather than allowing nations to fall apart or break
\nup. They need to stay together and remain strong, to avoid
\nbecoming failed states.<\/p>\n
We are here to work in support of the territorial integrity of
\nIndonesia.\"<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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