Aceh governor seeks talks with GAM leader Hasan Tiro
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh said on Friday that he wanted to hold talks with Free Aceh Movement (GAM) top leader Hasan Tiro during upcoming peace talks between the government and GAM in Geneva, which is scheduled for Nov. 3 and Nov. 4.
"It depends on the mechanism of the dialog. The meeting could take place on the sidelines of the peace talks. The prospects are quite favorable," he told Antara news agency in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh.
Puteh and Teungku Muhammad Yus, speaker of the Aceh Legislative Council, will represent the provincial administration at the two-day dialog in Switzerland.
A group of six Acehnese civilian figures led by Imam Suja will also be present at the peace talks as observers. They arrived in Geneva a few days ago.
Puteh's plan to meet with Tiro followed a meeting of the six Acehnese civilian representatives with the top GAM leader last Wednesday in Switzerland.
The governor said that before meeting with Tiro, he would meet with President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for consultation.
The six figures expressed optimism that the government and GAM would be able to reach a peace agreement to end decades of separatist conflict in Aceh since 1976.
"We are taking back a message to the people of Aceh that GAM wants to agree to a cessation of hostilities," Suja, who chairs the Aceh chapter of Muhammadiyah, said in a press release issued by the Henri Dunant Center (HDC).
GAM spokesman Bachtiar Abdullah said from Switzerland that rebels hoped to sign a peace accord after this year's Muslim Idul Fitri holiday in early December.
"We believe that the signing of an agreement with the government of Indonesia is most likely to take place immediately after Idul Fitri," he was quoted by AP as saying.
The much-awaited signing is expected to end one of Asia's longest-running separatist fighting that has claimed thousands of lives.
The press release said that during the meeting with Tiro, the six Acehnese civilian representatives were delighted with progress and comforted by GAM's clear assurances that a peaceful solution to the conflict would be reached.
"The proposal for all-Aceh inclusive dialog, leading to local elections in 2004 and a democratically elected government in Aceh was also reaffirmed," it said.
"We understand this to be a clear commitment by GAM and the government of Indonesia to fulfilling the wishes of the Acehnese people. There may still be some hurdles to overcome, but, as both sides prepare to embark on this momentous journey, our hopes are high for what will be an historic agreement," it added.
Bachtiar said that during the fasting month of Ramadhan that would start on Nov. 6, GAM would "stop all military actions except for self-defense purposes".
The Geneva-based HDC, which is organizing peace talks, has been pushing for an even earlier signing, possibly in mid- November.
The rebels have insisted that international mediators must monitor any future cease-fire. The government has fiercely opposed foreign involvement in the past, but has since relaxed its stand.
Bachtiar said the rebels were discussing the number and country of origin of international monitors to oversee the deal.
Indonesian Military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said on Wednesday that the government would grant a sweeping amnesty to GAM members if the upcoming peace talks were successful.
The government insists that Aceh must remain part of Indonesia, and has offered the province greater autonomy. GAM has rejected previous offers of autonomy and additional revenues from the province's oil and natural gas.
The government says the rebels have accepted the autonomy offer, but Bachtiar claimed on Friday that GAM is holding out for full independence. It was not immediately clear how the discrepancy would be dealt with in the reported peace deal.