House support Aceh peace pact<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Efforts to end three decades of bloodshed in Aceh received a
\nmajor boost on Tuesday as the government secured full support
\nfrom the House of Representatives for its peace agreement with
\nthe rebels in the province.<\/p>\n
\"The House leadership, including all 10 factions ... support
\nefforts by the government to solve conflicts in Nanggroe Aceh
\nDarussalam in a peaceful, comprehensive and dignified manner,\"
\nHouse Speaker Agung Laksono told a joint media conference which
\nwrapped up a marathon consultation meeting at the president's
\noffice.<\/p>\n
Agung brought with him representatives of all the factions,
\nincluding previous opponents of the deal, the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle, to the talks which had been
\nrequested by the lawmakers to hear details of the peace deal,
\nwhich is scheduled for signing in Helsinki on Aug. 15.<\/p>\n
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was accompanied by Vice
\nPresident Jusuf Kalla and several Cabinet ministers and
\nIndonesian Military Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto.<\/p>\n
To show their relief, the government officials and lawmakers
\nconcluded their meeting with patriotic songs \"Syukur\"
\n(Appreciation) and \"Padamu Negeri\" (For You My Country).<\/p>\n
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the Free Aceh Movement
\n(GAM) rebels would cease to exist as a consequence of its
\napproval of the peace deal, which requires its members to
\nacknowledge the unitary state of Indonesia and the 1945
\nConstitution.<\/p>\n
The signing, Susilo said, would ease the way for the massive
\nreconstruction effort currently underway in Aceh, most of which
\nwas greatly damaged by the tsunami. Nearly 130,000 people were
\nkilled in that disaster, which also affected Nias Island in North
\nSumatra.<\/p>\n
Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin has been
\nappointed to sign the agreement on behalf of the government. Four
\nlawmakers will also witness the signing, but Kalla, who initiated
\nthe peace talks, will not be there.<\/p>\n
Both Susilo and Agung refused to disclose the details of the
\ntruce in order to honor the commitment to keep them secret until
\nthe signing. But Agung said the agreement would cover \"amnesty,
\npolitical rights, facilities, integration, economic affairs and
\nmonitoring of the peace implementation\".<\/p>\n
The government had earlier proposed an amendment to the
\nspecial autonomy status for Aceh to allow GAM members to form
\ntheir own political party and contest local elections as part of
\nthe peace deal.<\/p>\n
The President also played down lawmakers' warning of a
\npossible \"hidden agenda\" behind the truce, which they said could
\nlead to Aceh's partition.<\/p>\n
\"There should not be concern in connection to what happened to
\nEast Timor in the past ... No outside party is taking part in the
\nsettlement of the Aceh and Papua issues,\" Susilo explained.<\/p>\n
Susilo also gave credit to past governments that contributed
\nto the peace process.<\/p>\n
The first peace agreement was reached during the
\nadministration of former president Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid in
\n2000, and the second during the tenure of Megawati Soekarnoputri
\nin 2002. Both peace deals, however, were short-lived.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, GAM leaders briefed around 300 Acehnese clerics,
\nscholars, artists, activists, businessmen and politicians about
\nthe peace agreement in Kuala Lumpur during a forum facilitated by
\nthe Sweden-based Olof Palme Center.<\/p>\n
\"We explained to them that our wali (head of the movement
\nHassan di Tiro) has approved all the results of the peace talks,\"
\na member of GAM negotiating team Mohammed Nur Djuli told The
\nJakarta Post on Tuesday.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/house-support-aceh-peace-pact-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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