Accord an Independence Day 'gift', says Susilo
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has appealed to government negotiators to prevent any problem that could lead to the failure in the signing of a peace deal with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) on Monday.
"The President told us to be very serious and prevent anything that may disrupt the peace agreement," Minister of Communications and Information Sofyan Djalil said after a meeting on Friday with government delegates ahead of their departure for Finland to sign the pact.
Sofyan, who is among the negotiators, said Susilo asked the delegates to thank God and pray for the success of the peace accord, which the President said would be "a gift for Indonesia's 60th independence anniversary".
The President also called on all delegation members "not only to witness the historical event but also to show the world that all Indonesians support the peace process" for Aceh.
The peace process received a major boost this week from the House of Representatives, which had initially opposed the "internalization" of the Aceh issue since the peace talks were held in Helsinki, Finland, and involved foreign mediators.
Some of the negotiation team members -- Sofyan Djalil, Farid Husain, Usman Basyah, I Gusti Wesaka Puja and former Aceh martial law administration head Maj. Gen. Bambang Darmono -- flew to Helsinki on Friday.
Other delegates -- team advisor Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo Adi Sucipto and Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin -- will also leave for Helsinki on Saturday.
As chief government negotiator, Hamid will sign the peace deal with GAM to end almost three decades of separatist fighting in the tsunami-ravaged province.
Joining the delegates as witnesses in the peace accord will be House Deputy Speaker Zaenal Ma'arif, chairman of the House Commission I for defense and international affairs Theo L. Sambuaga, and two Acehnese legislators Farhan Hamid and Tengku Nurlif, as well as two members of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) representing Aceh Malik Raden and Adenan Nyak Sarong.
The government has also invited other Aceh representatives -- acting Aceh governor Azar Abubakar, Aceh Ulema Council chairman Muslim Ibrahim, Aceh legislative council speaker Said Fuad Zakaria and Aceh traditional community head Badruzzaman -- to witness the signing of the peace deal.
Azwar said that all Acehnese welcomed the peace agreement, although they are still cautious about a possible collapse of the pact.
"They welcome it, but they are worried whether it will bring lasting peace in the province or not," he said.
The government and GAM had earlier managed to produce a series of agreements to stop the separatist conflict in Aceh, but all of them broke down.
The latest truce by the two sides was the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, which was signed in 2002. It collapsed in May 2003 and ended up with the imposition of martial law in the province.
Peace talks reopened in Helsinki following the Dec. 26 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated Aceh, killing hundreds of thousands of people.