RI, GAM asked to save peace<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia's international aid donors are putting pressure on
\nJakarta and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to continue with their
\nplan to hold a Joint Council meeting to salvage the fragile peace
\nin Aceh.<\/p>\n
The United States, Japan and the World Bank said a successful
\nJoint Council meeting would be necessary to save the Dec. 9 peace
\nagreement in the natural resource-rich province, while blaming
\nGAM for causing the talks, originally planned to begin on Friday,
\nto falter.<\/p>\n
"We regret that GAM has allowed minor procedural issues to
\nprevent the parties from meeting. We call upon GAM to maintain
\nthe path for a peaceful solution of the Aceh conflict," Japan
\nAmbassador to Indonesia Yutaka Iimura said on Friday.<\/p>\n
He was speaking after a meeting with representatives of the
\nU.S. and the World Bank to respond to Jakarta's decision not to
\nsend a delegation to Geneva, Switzerland, where the talks were
\nscheduled to take place. GAM had insisted on holding the meeting
\non April 27, instead of April 25 as it was presumed by all
\nparties.<\/p>\n
Japan, the U.S., the EU and the World Bank were co-chairs of
\nthe Tokyo Conference on Peace and Reconstruction in Aceh. They
\nhave pledged humanitarian assistance to help with reconstruction
\nin the province, which has been hampered by years of conflict
\nsince GAM began its secessionist movement in 1976.<\/p>\n
With Indonesian Military (TNI) and GAM fighting almost
\neveryday, more than 10,000 people have been killed, mostly
\ncivilians.<\/p>\n
The donors said the continued implementation of the Cessation
\nof Hostilities Agreement (COHA) signed last year would depend on
\na successful result of the Joint Council meeting.<\/p>\n
"For the sake of keeping the COHA process alive, we hope the
\nparties will put the interests of the people of Aceh to live in
\npeace and security above any other interests," the donor
\ncountries said.<\/p>\n
The EU did not attend Friday's meeting.<\/p>\n
Separately, Sudi Silalahi, an assistant to the Coordinating
\nMinister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono, hinted that there was still a chance for peace to
\nprevail in Aceh.<\/p>\n
"The door for a peaceful solution in Aceh is still open, but
\nwe have to spell out conditions to do so." he said after a
\nministerial meeting on Aceh. The conditions will be brought to
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri during a Cabinet meeting on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
Sudi asserted that the military and the police would remain on
\nhigh alert to anticipate a worsening situation in Aceh pending
\nthe government's final say about the peace process.<\/p>\n
Present at the meeting presided over by Susilo were, among
\nothers, Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare Jusuf Kalla,
\nNational Intelligence Agency (BIN) Chief A.M. Hendropriyono, TNI
\nchief of general affairs Lt. Gen. Djamari Chaniago, and several
\nofficials from economic ministries.<\/p>\n
Despite threats of a breakdown of the truce, the Henry Dunant
\nCentre (HDC) promised the government on Friday to look forward to
\nanother time and venue for the dialog.<\/p>\n
"The peace deal is an historic opportunity for peace and the
\nproblems recently encountered in its implementation can be
\nresolved between the parties," HDC said in a statement.<\/p>\n
GAM meanwhile denied responsibility for the failed meeting,
\nsaying it had actually sent delegations from Kutaraja in Aceh
\nwhile another was ready to take a flight from Kuala Lumpur at the
\nsame time.<\/p>\n
"From the very beginning, Indonesia has chosen not to follow
\nany normally acceptable procedure in its demand to convene the JC
\nmeeting. Instead of informing HDC about its wish to have the JC
\nmeeting convened, it chose to summon our side to attend the
\nmeeting in Jakarta, even before informing the mediator
\nofficially.<\/p>\n
"It delivered the demand through the press with a threat, that
\nif we refused, Jakarta would launch a large scale military
\noperation to 'wipe GAM out'. We naturally had no choice but to
\nignore such a demand, until the HDC informed us officially of the
\nrequest," GAM said in the statement.<\/p>\n
GAM further urged the Indonesian government to read and
\nunderstand the contents of the COHA, saying that "nowhere in the
\nAgreement is it written that we had accepted the NAD Law as the
\nstarting point to the final solution."<\/p>\n
While the government insists that the acceptance of the
\nspecial autonomy for Aceh law is final, GAM says it will pave the
\nway for independence for Aceh.<\/p>\n
Violence has been on the rise over the past two months,
\nleaving 50 people dead.<\/p>\n
Both parties have also failed to comply with the nearly five-
\nmonth-old peace agreement, which requires a repositioning of TNI
\nand police strictly for defensive roles and GAM to lay down arms.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-gam-asked-to-save-peace-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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