Govt presses GAM to sign deal before Ramadhan<\/p>\n
Agencies, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government is pressing the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to sign a
\npeace agreement before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan
\nstarts, in order to bring an end to violence in the country's
\nwesternmost province as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono said here Sunday that he welcomed GAM's
\ndecision to declare a unilateral ceasefire during Ramadhan but
\ninsisted that the government wanted the peace agreement that had
\nbeen intensively prepared in the past three months to be signed
\nbefore the holy month begins.<\/p>\n
\"Our wish is (to sign the peace pact) before Ramadhan. They
\n(GAM) want a delay while we still want to move ahead. The sooner
\nthe better,\" Susilo was quoted by Antara as saying after seeing
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri and her entourage off at the
\nHalim Perdana Kusuma Airport on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Megawati left for Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Sunday to attend a
\ntwo-day summit of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian
\nNations (ASEAN).<\/p>\n
Susilo said signing a deal during Ramadhan was better than no
\ndeal at all but said a military ceasefire was not enough.<\/p>\n
\"With a formal signing of a peace agreement, it is expected
\nthat conflicts in the field can be fully stopped. So we don't
\njust want a ceasefire, we want a peace agreement.\"<\/p>\n
Ramadhan is due to begin on Nov. 6.<\/p>\n
GAM has been fighting for independence for resource-rich Aceh
\nsince 1976. Over 10,000 people, mostly innocent civilians, have
\nbeen killed since then.<\/p>\n
GAM leadership declared on Friday its ceasefire during
\nRamadhan from Nov. 4 through Dec. 10, during which it would
\nwithdraw its troops to defensive positions with the minimal use
\nof weapons for self defense only.<\/p>\n
In a press statement issued on Thursday Oct. 31 in Geneva, the
\nGAM leadership said that the meetings with the six civilian
\nfigures -- academics and religious clerics -- had helped them
\nconclude that the time was right for a peace agreement with
\nJakarta and could be done by December.<\/p>\n
It also urged the government to instruct its military (TNI)
\nand police (Polri) to respect the ceasefire during Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
The six civilian figures went to Geneva, Switzerland early
\nlast week upon the invitation of the Henry Dunant Centre, which
\nhas been sponsoring peace talks between the government and GAM
\nsince 2000.<\/p>\n
Following the meeting with GAM on Nov. 1, Imam Suja, one of
\nthe religious leaders, said he was taking back a message to Aceh
\nthat GAM would like to end the conflict.<\/p>\n
According to Susilo, public figures and religious leaders in
\nAceh also wanted the final peace agreement to be signed as soon
\nas possible.<\/p>\n
\"So, the wish of Acehnese people is the same with the hope of
\ngovernment,\" Susilo surmised.<\/p>\n
He said that the government would, in the next few days, talk
\nto the Henry Dunant Centre to ask for clarification on the reason
\nbehind GAM's decision to delay signing the peace agreement.<\/p>\n
\"Why do they unilaterally decide to delay (the signing) until
\nafter Idul Fitri (early December)? We want to know the real
\nproblem,\" Susilo said.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Reuters by telephone from Banda Aceh, some 1,700
\nkm northwest of Jakarta, a rebel spokesman said Sunday that
\nescalating violence in recent months prompted the latest delay.<\/p>\n
\"We regret the delay but we have to do it because the
\nconditions in the field are not good and not supportive,\"
\nspokesman Teungku Sofyan said.<\/p>\n
\"The Indonesian military and the police are still launching
\ntheir military aggression against the people of Aceh. In fact,
\nthere has been an increase in aggression during September-
\nOctober,\" he added.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-presses-gam-to-sign-deal-before-ramadhan-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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