GAM held at gunpoint, told to sign agreement<\/p>\n
Team, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government and the military upped the pressure on the Free
\nAceh Movement (GAM) to sign a peace agreement as soon as possible
\nas scores of rebels, including GAM leaders, are still under siege
\nin North Aceh.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC) which has facilitated
\ndialogs for the two conflicting factions, reiterated that the
\nsigning of the peace agreement would be conducted after the
\nfasting month of Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
\"Actually, the government was ready to sign the agreement at
\nthe end of October or early November. But the deal failed to be
\nmaterialized as GAM delayed unilaterally the signing until after
\nRamadhan on grounds that they have to hold further discussion
\nwith informal and religious leaders in Aceh,\" Indonesian
\nnegotiator Wiryono Sastrohandoyo said in a joint press conference
\nwith HDC here on Friday.<\/p>\n
David Gorman, an HDC official, said that despite several
\ndelays, he was optimistic that GAM would sign the peace agreement
\nafter Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
\"Last week, some Aceh leaders held a meeting with us (HDC) in
\nGeneva, where they said that they needed more time to consult
\nsome prominent issues in the agreement itself... They did not
\nhave any objection with the agreement... They just said that
\nthere are some issues that should be resolved,\" Gorman said
\nreferring to the agreement draft.<\/p>\n
He declined to elaborate on which points of the agreement
\ndraft that GAM was still stuck on, saying \"it is not my part to
\ntell you here.\"<\/p>\n
Namuri Anom, a deputy to coordinating minister for political
\nand security affairs, said that most Acehnese people hoped the
\npeace agreement would be signed on Nov. 23, a good day for Muslim
\npeople in the fasting month.<\/p>\n
Earlier, President Megawati Soekarnoputri has called on HDC to
\nask GAM to go to the negotiation table to have the peace
\nagreement signed on Nov. 24, instead of after the fasting month,
\nwhich is in early December.<\/p>\n
Separately, Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen.
\nEndriartono Sutarto said on Friday, that his soldiers would not
\nend the siege of a group of rebels in North Aceh as long as GAM
\nrefused to sign the peace agreement.<\/p>\n
\"Should they fail to sign the agreement by the deadline, we
\nwill bombard the rebels' hiding place,\" Endriartono said.<\/p>\n
He emphasized that the siege had nothing to do with the
\ndelayed peace talks, saying that the military had located the
\narea where GAM officials, including GAM Commander Mazakhir Manaf,
\nwere believed to be hiding, before GAM delayed the meeting.<\/p>\n
According to him, the Paya Cot Trieng, a swampy area in Nissam
\nsubdistrict in North Aceh has long been used as a GAM
\nheadquarters to coordinate its operations.<\/p>\n
\"That is why we are not going to let them out, because they do
\nnot have the right to use weapons, while our main task is to
\nprotect the country,\" Endriartono remarked.<\/p>\n
From Aceh, Sofyan Dawood, spokesman for GAM, called on the
\ninternational community to focus its attention on the some 3,000
\nTNI soldiers supported by tanks, which had trapped more than 120
\nAcehnese people and a score of rebels for the past four days in
\nPaya Cot Trieng.<\/p>\n
\"The deployment of artillery mortars, armored carriers and
\ngrenades are against international conventions ... Despite the
\nsiege, we will never give up. It is better and more honorable for
\nus to die in the war.<\/p>\n
\"We will win the war and the international community will be
\nashamed after they see what a valiant defense we put up, all
\nalone\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sofyan denied that GAM Commander Muzakhir Manaf was with the
\nrebels in the hiding place, saying: \"There are only me and my
\ndeputy Tengku Agam and a number of rebels while more than 120
\ncivilians are here with us after they were wanted by the
\nmilitary.\"<\/p>\n
He said the siege would not disrupt the planned dialog between
\nthe two conflicting sides, \"and GAM is ready to go to the
\nnegotiating table to sign the peace agreement to end the
\nhostility.<\/p>\n
In Banda Aceh, hundreds of Acehnese people were barred by the
\nlocal police from entering the Baiturrachman Grand Mosque to pray
\nfor the cessation of the hostility in the restive province. The
\nmass prayer was held to celebrate the second anniversary of the
\nAcehnese Mass gathering for a self-determination referendum.<\/p>\n
M. Nazar, chairman of the Center for Information on Aceh
\nReferendum, condemned the security authorities' action, saying no
\nsides have authority to prevent Muslim people from praying in the
\nmosque.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gam-held-at-gunpoint-told-to-sign-agreement-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}