Govt, GAM begin talks on key issues<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The latest round of peace talks between the Indonesian government
\nand the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) kicked off on Tuesday in
\nHelsinki, with both sides saying an agreement to end the conflict
\nwas within reach.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian chief negotiator, Minister of Justice and Human
\nRights Hamid Awaluddin, said that the first day of the fifth
\nround of the talks had run smoothly, despite controversy among
\nIndonesian politicians, who recently criticized the peace process
\nfor being "off track".<\/p>\n
"We (the government) have come up with a proposal to grant
\namnesty to the rebels. We hope such a legal policy would pave the
\nway for them (the rebels) to participate in political issues and
\nthe rehabilitation process in the province.<\/p>\n
"The government has also promised to boost economic
\ndevelopment in Aceh and expects the former rebels to join
\nhand-in-hand with the other Acehnese (people) to rebuild Aceh,"
\nHamid told television station SCTV on the sidelines of the talks.<\/p>\n
The Helsinki talks, initiated after the Dec. 26 tsunami, are
\naimed at seeking ways to end the three decades of bloody
\nconflict, in which over 15,000 people have been killed.<\/p>\n
The July meeting could be the final round of informal talks
\nbetween the two parties. Two weeks ago, Martti Ahtisaari of the
\nCrisis Management Initiative (CMI), which is facilitating the
\ntalks, submitted a draft agreement to Jakarta and the GAM
\nleaders. That document is expected to be the basis of a possible
\npeace accord, the implementation of which would be monitored by
\nup to 200 observers from the European Union (EU).<\/p>\n
Ahtisaari has said that if Indonesia and GAM reached a
\ncomprehensive agreement there would be a need for the monitoring
\nof the decommissioning of arms and the withdrawal of military
\nforces from Aceh.<\/p>\n
Some earlier reports have said Vice President Jusuf Kalla will
\ncome to Helsinki in August when the final peace agreement is
\nexpected to be reached.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government has said it will never let Aceh
\nseparate from Indonesia, but will give it a greater say in
\nrunning its affairs. The rebels have publicly dropped their
\nindependence demand, and now want the right to form their own
\nregional political parties to take part in elections for the
\nprovincial government. The GAM leaders' demand to form their own
\npolitical parties, however, has been rejected by the Indonesian
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
"GAM doesn't ask (for) anything but democratic rights, which
\ninclude to form their own political parties -- instead of joining
\nthe existing political parties -- for every Acehnese person," GAM
\nspokesman Bakhtiar Abdullah told The Jakarta Post from Sweden.<\/p>\n
"If the Indonesian government cannot accept our proposal on
\npolitical parties and local direct elections, which items can we
\nput on the negotiating table?," Bakhtiar asked.<\/p>\n
Hamid insisted that the proposal on the establishment of local
\npolitical parties should be dropped, because "it has no legal
\nbasis."<\/p>\n
He, however, remained optimistic that the talks would not meet
\na deadlock, arguing that "GAM leadership believes that the
\nongoing peace talks are the only solution to end the conflict."<\/p>\n
Despite the ongoing peace talks, armed clashes between rebels
\nand government troops have continued in Aceh, claiming the lives
\nof dozens of people, including civilians, and injuring foreign
\nhumanitarian workers.<\/p>\n
A Jakarta-based non-governmental organization Aceh Working
\nGroup (AWG) has asked the government to monitor the rising number
\nof militia groups in Aceh, fearing the groups could be used as
\n"political instrument" by the military to halt the peace process.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-gam-begin-talks-on-key-issues-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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