Planned RI-GAM meeting still unclear<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The planned peace talks between Indonesia and the Free Aceh
\nMovement (GAM) scheduled by the Henry Dunant Center (HDC) for
\nhumanitarian dialogue in Geneva, Switzerland, on Feb. 2-3, 2002,
\nremain uncertain as the separatist movement has so far not been
\ninvited by the Indonesian government to resume the dialog.<\/p>\n
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirajuda expressed optimism
\non Thursday that the peace talks would go ahead according to
\nschedule.<\/p>\n
\"It is not true that the planned dialog was postponed because
\nof the death of GAM commander Abdullah Syafi'ie. So far, we have
\nnot received any official information on it (postponement) and we
\nare still arranging the dialog as planned,\" he said after a
\nCabinet meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri at the
\nState Palace here on Thursday.<\/p>\n
He said the government had appointed Wiryono Sastrohandoyo,
\nformer Indonesian ambassador to Australia, to lead the
\ngovernment's negotiating team in the meeting while GAM had
\nappointed Malik Mahmud.<\/p>\n
HDC confirmed recently that it had arranged the meeting
\nbetween the Indonesian government and GAM in a location closed to
\nthe press in Switzerland on Feb. 2 and Feb. 3, 2002. It said it
\nhad made contact with GAM officials in Stockholm about the
\ndialog.<\/p>\n
The two sides failed to continue their peace talks scheduled
\nfor Sept. 2001 after their meeting in Geneva which was
\nfacilitated by HDC on July 1, 2001.<\/p>\n
Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh also confirmed on Thursday that
\nhe would assign his deputy governor to represent the Aceh
\nadministration in the meeting because he would be on pilgrimage
\nduring that time.<\/p>\n
GAM spokesman Ayah Sofyan ruled out the planned meeting,
\nsaying the Indonesian government has never made contact with GAM
\nabout it.<\/p>\n
\"How can we reject the dialog when we have not received any
\ninvitation to the dialog from the Indonesian government?\" he
\nasked.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that HDC has contacted GAM to persuade it to
\nparticipate in the dialog \"but we have not given any
\nconfirmation.\"<\/p>\n
\"Our official representatives overseas will certainly inform
\nus if they have accepted the government's invitation. But, so
\nfar, we have not been informed of any changes in GAM's stance on
\nthe dialog,\" he said. GAM, he said, could not attend any peace
\ntalks in the near future because they were still mourning their
\nlate leader Syafi'ie for 44 days.<\/p>\n
Syafi'ie was killed along his wife and five bodyguards in a
\nfirefight with Army soldiers in the Aceh regency of Pidie last
\nweek.<\/p>\n
Ayah reiterated that GAM would not be available for peace
\ntalks with the Indonesian government unless a cease-fire was
\nenforced in the restive province.<\/p>\n
\"We stand by the preliminary conditions we had set for further
\ndialog with Indonesia,\" he said.<\/p>\n
GAM has demanded the government agree to a cease-fire in Aceh
\nand allow a third country or party to mediate the peace talks as
\npreliminary conditions for further dialogs. It set those
\nconditions following the launching of a military operation in
\nAceh in May, 2001.<\/p>\n
The separatist movement has since 1976 taken up arms against
\nwhat they call Indonesian imperialism in the province.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/planned-ri-gam-meeting-still-unclear-1447893297",
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