Aceh peace accord

The Aceh peace accord was signed in the Finnish capital of Helsinki on Monday, the culmination of six months of tough negotiations. The accord could not be more timely as Indonesia celebrates its 60th year of independence on Wednesday. One could choose to look at the Helsinki accord as an Independence Day gift for the country, although a more pessimistic view could see it as a failure on the part of Indonesia to resolve an internal conflict on its own.

Either way, no sane Indonesian will oppose the signing of the agreement. It is now time to rejoice and to provide unwavering support for peace efforts in the resource-rich province. It is therefore appropriate to thank all of the peacemakers who worked so hard in Helsinki, foreigners and Indonesians alike, for their perseverance. The ray of hope now shining down so brightly on Aceh would not have been possible without their conviction that they could put an end to almost 30 years of conflict between the government and the rebels.

The mood of Independence Day is compatible with the mood of peace now blooming in the country's westernmost province, so now is a good time to ask: What is the point of freedom if there is internal conflict?

To put it crudely, a peace accord is just a piece of paper. It is a historical milestone, but is not the same thing as peace itself. Of greater importance is the implementation of the agreement in the field. This involves sensitive matters and a multitude of issues not unusual in any prolonged conflict, such as amnesty for prisoners, compensation for former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members, battling jealousies that might arise from non-GAM members who are not eligible for the compensation, the disarming of GAM fighters, the withdrawal of government troops and dealing with violations of the truce. It is a precarious road that will require cool heads, magnanimity and the ability to draw lessons from previous peace efforts that went sour. This is easier said than done and will be the hardest part of the truce.

The rules agreed upon in the truce should be followed meticulously by both sides in a climate where potential "peace spoilers" could interfere. The continued violence in Aceh after the truce was informally agreed upon last month is testament to the dangers that lie ahead, because long-term conflict breeds warmongers and all kinds of groups who have their own interests in keeping the war going. These interests can bring the government and the military into conflict.

A positive sign is that both the executive and the legislative branches have come out in support of the truce, something that was absent in the past.

This, coupled with the cruel intervention of nature in the form of the Dec. 26 tsunami that killed more than 129,000 Acehnese, has been the main booster for peace in Aceh this time around.

With the 12,000 people who died unnecessarily in Aceh over the past 30 years, there is every reason to support this peace accord at all costs. The relentless quest for peace in the province must be on the minds of all the parties involved in peace building in Aceh, including local government officials, foreign peace monitors, the Acehnese and security officers.