GAM seeks cease-fire in security pact<\/p>\n
Agencies, Helsinki<\/p>\n
Separatists from the war-torn province of Aceh pushed for a
\ncease-fire in their almost 30-year conflict with the Indonesian
\nauthorities, at peace talks on Saturday in Finland.<\/p>\n
Bakhtiar Abdullah, a spokesman for the exiled leadership of
\nthe Free Aceh Movement (GAM) who are taking part in the talks in
\nHelsinki, told AFP that a cease-fire should be part of a security
\nagreement that was to be discussed with the government
\ndelegation.<\/p>\n
\"We have had only negative answers so far, but we will pursue
\n(the issue),\" he said. \"It will be part of a security package.\"<\/p>\n
Members of the Indonesian government delegation at the talks
\nwere not immediately available for comment. The Jakarta
\ngovernment has to date refused any cease-fire during the talks,
\nsaying that the GAM rebels constituted a permanent security
\nthreat.<\/p>\n
Jakarta has also signaled that it is losing patience with the
\npeace process, and that it sees the current talks as the last
\nchance to reach a deal.<\/p>\n
However, the GAM spokesman dismissed such reports as \"typical
\nIndonesian propaganda\".<\/p>\n
\"The process is still going on,\" he said.<\/p>\n
On the general progress in the latest round of talks, which
\nopened on Thursday, the rebel spokesman said: \"As far as the GAM
\nis concerned, we think these talks are constructive ... but of
\ncourse it takes time to get a very concrete sustainable
\nsettlement after 30 years.\"<\/p>\n
\"We have made some substantial progress ... it is moving in
\nthe right direction but we still have to iron out some points of
\nsensitivities which unfortunately I'm bound to keep
\nconfidential,\" Bakhtiar Abdullah told Reuters.<\/p>\n
Earlier, a source familiar with the negotiations said a broad
\ndeal had been reached on political issues such as how parties
\nbased only in part of Indonesia could contest national elections.
\nAceh is on the northern tip of Sumatra island.<\/p>\n
\"The matter of the political parties has been solved. The
\nmatter will now be handled in Jakarta, for the government to work
\nout,\" the source said, adding that the negotiators would now take
\nthe deal to the government and legislature.<\/p>\n
The government is under pressure from the legislature, where
\nnationalism runs deep, to deliver an acceptable deal soon.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Finnish mediator's office said on Saturday that
\nEuropean Union observers would join the peace talks on Monday, a
\nday before the current fourth round of closed-door negotiations
\nwere scheduled to end.<\/p>\n
\"They will be there only as observers, and will not take an
\nactive part. They will sit in on negotiations that deal with the
\nmonitoring of any peace agreement,\" Maria-Elena Cowell, a
\nspokeswoman for the mediator, former Finnish president Martti
\nAhtisaari, was quoted by AP as saying.<\/p>\n
But Cowell could not provide more details.<\/p>\n
At the end of the previous round of talks on April 16,
\nAhtisaari said the parties had made a breakthrough in the talks,
\nopening the way for \"substantive issues\". He also said he would
\nrequest the EU provide peacekeepers to monitor a possible pact.<\/p>\n
The head of the Indonesian delegation, justice minister Hamid
\nAwaluddin, said at the time that his government approved of
\nAhtisaari's attempts and that it would make a similar request to
\nthe regional Asian organization, ASEAN.<\/p>\n
The latest series of talks, which began in January, came after
\nthe Dec. 26 Asian tsunami wreaked havoc in region, killing an
\nestimated 128,000 people in Aceh alone.<\/p>\n
The ongoing talks are being mediated and organized by
\nAhtisaari's Crisis Management Initiative, which said on Friday
\nthat the latest round of talks was taking place in a good
\natmosphere, with some progress.<\/p>\n
The first day on Thursday focused on amnesty, integration in
\nsociety and economic issues, while Friday's meeting centered on
\nself-government and economic issues.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the issue of security guarantees was on the
\nagenda.<\/p>\n
Despite the peace efforts, clashes between the rebels and the
\narmed forces in Aceh continue on an almost daily basis.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Indonesian soldiers shot dead three separatist
\nrebels during a raid in North Aceh district, a rebel stronghold,
\nsoldiers who took part in the skirmish told reporters.<\/p>\n
Just over a week ago, Indonesia decided to lift a one-year-old
\nstate of civil emergency in the province.<\/p>",
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