Aceh peace talks grapple with autonomy issue

Aceh peace talks grapple with autonomy issue

Agence France-Presse
Helsinki

Peace talks between Indonesian government representatives and
leading Aceh separatists continued on Tuesday, amid uncertainty
over whether the rebels will accept a special autonomy proposal
for the tsunami-stricken province.

"I think you can say the talks so far have been tough,
considering the issues at stake (but) things seem to be going
better today (Tuesday) than yesterday," Maria-Elena Cowell,
spokeswoman for the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) foundation
organizing the talks, told AFP.

One of the main matters on the table is Jakarta's
controversial offer of limited self-rule for Aceh instead of full
independence -- a proposal the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels
had earlier called a "non-starter".

The group's Stockholm-based spokesman Bakhtiar Abdullah said
early Tuesday however that the issue was indeed being discussed
in detail.

"We are discussing the content of the special autonomy
proposal ... We are still discussing if there is anything new on
offer ... We have not agreed," he told AFP.

According to Cowell, the offer includes "talks of provincial
elections (and) political participation for GAM".

The proposed autonomy deal could also include the introduction
of Islamic law in the strife-ridden province, but Abdullah
insisted that "that is not something the Acehnese people want".

A source close to the negotiations hinted that GAM was warming
to the special autonomy idea.

"You can draw that conclusion from the fact that the talks are
continuing," the source, requesting anonymity, said.

Despite the hard bargaining going on, this second round of
Helsinki peace talks is considered a watershed in the dealings
between the two warring sides.

When they met for a first round at the end of January, it was
the first time the rebels and the government stood face-to-face
since May 2003, when the government declared martial law and
launched a major military offensive in the province.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed since Aceh
separatists began fighting for independence for the province in
1976, claiming Jakarta plunders its resources and the army
commits atrocities against its population.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) on Tuesday warned that it could
take action against the Aceh separatists if a deal is not reached
in Helsinki.

"If (the talks are) fruitless, then we should never hesitate
to take strong action against these separatists ... If GAM wants
peace, then show it. Don't just attack Indonesian troops during
humanitarian works," TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said.

A military soldier and two civilians were killed when a group
of 30 rebels ambushed troops who were on their way to carry out
relief work in western Aceh over the weekend, TNI said.

Abdullah meanwhile insisted that "we are still adhering to the
call for cease fire", adding however that "the situation on the
field right now is very disappointing."

If the two sides fail to reach an understanding, the talks
could wrap up later Tuesday, a day ahead of schedule, but Cowell
insisted that CMI was "still counting on having a press
conference (ending the talks) tomorrow (Wednesday)".