U.S. pressure RI Aceh peace<\/p>\n
Agencies, Phnom Penh<\/p>\n
The United States on Wednesday put pressure on Indonesia to
\npursue a peaceful resolution to end the conflict in Aceh, as well
\nas pushing for North Korea to abandon its nuclear drive and for
\nMyanmar to embrace democratic reforms during high-level talks at
\nAsia-Pacific's top security forum.<\/p>\n
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told the forum here that
\nthe collective voice of the Association of Southeast Asian
\nNations (ASEAN) and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) could
\nfacilitate efforts to restore peace in Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"The road to peace in Aceh continues to lie in a negotiated
\nsettlement that includes full implementation of special autonomy
\nprovisions for the province of Aceh,\" a senior state department
\nofficial quoted Powell as telling the ARF forum.<\/p>\n
Powell noted that the international community had welcomed
\nlast December's ceasefire agreement between the Indonesian
\ngovernment and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) as \"a
\npromising step toward resolution of this conflict.\"<\/p>\n
\"Unfortunately neither the Indonesian government nor the Free
\nAceh Movement fully implemented the provisions of the agreement,\"
\nthe official was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying.<\/p>\n
During the ARF forum, the European Union delegation also
\nexpressed EU's disappointment over the break down of the
\nCessation of Hostilities Agreement, signed by Jakarta and GAM in
\nDecember last year, that led to the war in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda, however, defended
\nthe government's position over its war in Aceh by describing the
\nmilitary operation in Aceh a \"legitimate and sovereign efforts\"
\nto protect its territorial integrity from \"GAM's armed rebellion
\nand terrorist acts.\"<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia is facing the threat of terror from another
\nquarter, namely the separatist ambitions of the so-called GAM,
\nwho has resorted to widespread indiscriminate acts of terror
\nagainst civilian targets, such as the bombing of the Jakarta
\nStock Exchange as well as department stores and shopping malls in
\nJakarta and elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\"To maintain its relevance, the ARF is called upon to respond
\nto such non-traditional threats of security which are borderless
\nand global in nature,\" Hassan told the forum.<\/p>\n
Aside from Aceh, Powell lobbied Southeast Asian nations to
\nhelp pressure North Korea into abandoning its nuclear ambitions
\nand he said ministers agreed that nuclear weapons could not be
\ntolerated on the Korean peninsula.<\/p>\n
\"All of North Korea's neighbors have an interest in this,\"
\nPowell told a news conference. \"It is not a U.S.-North Korea
\nissue alone.\"<\/p>\n
A joint statement issued at the conclusion of the ARF called
\nfor the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and urged North
\nKorea to reverse its decision to withdraw from the Non-
\nProliferation Treaty (NPT).<\/p>\n
North Korea, however, insists the matter must be resolved in
\none-on-one talks with Washington. The North on Wednesday lashed
\nout at U.S. pressure as \"a declaration of war\" and ruled out the
\nidea of involving other nations in ending the standoff.<\/p>\n
The ARF repeated the ASEAN call Wednesday for Myanmar's
\nmilitary government to release democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.<\/p>\n
The junta has said she will be released when tensions ease,
\nbut Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham said that was not good
\nenough.<\/p>\n
\"We believe that the generals need to understand that Suu Kyi
\nhas to be released ... immediately ... and given an opportunity
\nto carry on her political role in the country,\" Graham told
\nreporters.<\/p>\n
An ASEAN delegate attending the one-day talks told AFP that
\nthe foreign ministers of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan
\nhad also \"called for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi.\"<\/p>\n
The foreign ministers also looked for ways to bolster the
\nfight against terrorism. They adopted measures to strengthen
\nborder and maritime security, and reaffirmed a need to halt money
\nlaundering and other means of financing terrorism, the ministers
\nsaid in a statement released at the meeting's close. It did not
\nprovide specifics.<\/p>\n
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
\nMyanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The
\nregional forum includes ASEAN plus Australia, Canada, China, the
\nEuropean Union, India, Japan, Mongolia, North and South Korea,
\nNew Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russia and the United States.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/us-pressure-ri-aceh-peace-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}