GAM told to accept special Autonomy Law<\/p>\n
Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has to accept the special autonomy
\nlaw for Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) if it wishes to pursue a
\npeace dialog with the government, Minister of Foreign Affairs
\nHassan Wirayuda has said.<\/p>\n
\"GAM should know by now that the government takes the special
\nautonomy law and the integrity of Indonesia as the modality of
\nnegotiations,\" Hassan said after a Cabinet meeting in Jakarta on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
\"Continuing to demand independence will only bring the dialog
\nto a standstill,\" he added.<\/p>\n
He also said that the government would evaluate in the next
\none or two weeks whether the (previous) dialogue had produced an
\neffective result.<\/p>\n
\"Afterwards, it will be up to us to decide ... we could say,
\nthis is enough and pursue another option,\" Hassan said, while
\nstressing that the other option would not necessarily mean a
\nmilitary approach, and the government will proceed with its
\ncomprehensive solution.<\/p>\n
Asked whether there would be another dialog with GAM as Hassan
\npreviously stated -- 30 days to 45 days after the last one held
\nin Geneva, Switzerland -- the Minister said it all depended on
\nthe results of the evaluation.<\/p>\n
\"We shall see whether GAM will accept the special autonomy
\npackage as a final solution. If not, it would only be a waste of
\ntime,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Vice President Hamzah Haz said on Sunday that there was no
\nreason for GAM to exist, now that the government had paid special
\nheed to the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province.<\/p>\n
Last week, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security
\nAffairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also expressed the government's
\nreluctance to proceed with negotiations, saying that it might not
\ncontinue to seek a solution with the secessionist movement
\nthrough dialogue should it continue to reject the special
\nautonomy package.<\/p>\n
The government reinstated the military command in Aceh on
\nTuesday last week, amid criticism from human rights activists and
\nrejection from the Acehnese, fearing wider abuse in the province.<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri is expected to issue a
\npresidential instruction extending and modifying Presidential
\nInstruction No.7\/2001 on the use of military measures to quash
\nthe separatist movement in the province.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gam-told-to-accept-special-autonomy-law-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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