RI, GAM to resume talks despite differences<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government and the exiled leaders of the Free Aceh
\nMovement (GAM) are ready to resume a second-round peace talks in
\nFinland on Monday despite their acute differences on how to end
\nthe decades' long conflict in the province that has killed
\nthousands of people.<\/p>\n
Delegations from both sides arrived in Helsinki on Sunday,
\nMaria-Elena Cowell, the spokeswoman for mediator Crisis
\nManagement Initiative (CMI), said.<\/p>\n
CMI was founded by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari.<\/p>\n
The talks, which like the first round of negotiations at the
\nend of January will take place at the Koeningstedt estate outside
\nHelsinki, are scheduled to start in earnest on Monday.<\/p>\n
The first round of meetings proved largely unfruitful, and
\nAthisaari felt that a second round would be \"decisive\" in
\ndetermining whether the two sides could manage to reach common
\nground for further negotiations.<\/p>\n
\"We don't know what the end result is going to be. In that
\nsense, the next meeting will be decisive because after that we'll
\nknow if these negotiations will lead to something or not,\" he was
\nquoted by AFP as saying.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security
\nAffairs Widodo Adi Sucipto, who is also the supervisor of the
\nIndonesian delegation, said last week that the upcoming talks
\nwould revolve around the government's offer of a special autonomy
\nstatus for the oil and gas rich Aceh.<\/p>\n
The CMI also seems keen for GAM leaders to focus the talks on
\nthe concept of limited self-rule for Aceh. It said that within
\nthe framework of special autonomy, \"the (two) parties could cover
\nissues such as socio-economic development and reconstruction,
\nsecurity arrangements, an amnesty, the lifting of the civil
\nemergency (status), justice and also human rights issues.\"<\/p>\n
But GAM leaders say they want to focus on the facilitation and
\nsupport for the international humanitarian aid effort in Aceh to
\nassist victims of the recent tsunami, GAM's exiled prime minister
\nfor Aceh Malik Mahmood said.<\/p>\n
To achieve that goal, Malik said that the government-in-exile
\nof Aceh (ASNLF) aimed to reach an agreement with Jakarta on a
\nsustainable ceasefire as the basis of a lasting peace.<\/p>\n
\"Our first concern is, and always has been, for the Acehnese
\npeople,\" Malik said in a statement.<\/p>\n
In order to achieve a lasting peace, ASNLF would consider a
\nrange of possible political resolutions to the Aceh conflict, he
\nsaid. He, however, stressed the talks would begin with no
\nagreement on or acceptance of any particular political position.<\/p>\n
\"If we can have peace, we then expect to be able to work
\ntowards a negotiated political settlement,\" Malik said.<\/p>\n
Despite the sharp differences, the fact that the two parties
\nare talking is widely viewed as a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n
When they met last month, it was the first time the sides
\nstood face-to-face since May 2003, when the government declared
\nmartial law and launched a major military offensive in the
\nprovince after a cease fire broke down.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-gam-to-resume-talks-despite-differences-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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