Aceh separatist rebels must be disarmed, says President

Aceh separatist rebels must be disarmed, says President

BANDUNG (JP): Armed rebels from the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
must be disarmed should the negotiations between the Indonesian
government and the group fail.

"AGAM (the armed wing of GAM) is a rebellious group. We can
sit and talk together for negotiation, but, they have to be
disarmed. There are no other options," President Abdurrahman
Wahid said in a meeting with the Aceh students and youth
committee (KMPAN) in Bandung on Saturday.

The statement was made in response to a participant's question
on the concrete steps by the Indonesian government to end the
Acehnese suffering.

Some 300 Acehnese students joined the session titled
Reflection Week of Aceh Students Movement 2000.

"They (AGAM) refuse to unite with the Republic of Indonesia,
in a violent way. They must be stopped," he said.

Gus Dur, as the President is called, said the rebels were
totally different from the police or military.

"The police and military are deployed in Aceh to maintain
security and order," he said, acknowledging that efforts to deal
with the prolonged mayhem had not been successful.

He said that an ideal formula to solve the Aceh problem had
not yet been found. "The most important thing is that the rule of
law must be implemented and maintained in Aceh."

The Indonesian government and GAM have agreed that a
humanitarian pause be implemented in Aceh 'to tone down the
tension.' The first pause started on June 2 and ended on Sept. 2.

On Saturday, rebel negotiators and Indonesian officials were
to meet in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss the extension of the
first pause.

Unofficially the pause has already been extended for two weeks
so the talks in Switzerland could take place.

Progress

Gus Dur said he saw progress during the pause, despite the
continued killing by some elements.

The most notorious killing was the murder of the rector of the
state-owned Islamic Institute (IAIN) Ar-Raniry Safwan Idris at
his residence in the campus complex.

While the negotiators were meeting in Geneva, and President
Abdurrahman was speaking of his optimism about the peacemaking
process in war-ravaged Aceh, the sound of bombs and gunfire
echoed across the province on Saturday.

In the latest violence, a mutilated body was found in
Lhokseumawe on Saturday, police said.

The provincial capital of Banda Aceh has been rocked by
several bomb blasts over the past two days, damaging a military
barracks and the police headquarters, injuring at least one
officer.

Tazurra, a spokesman for the rebels, claimed responsibility
for the two blasts, but said prior warnings had been given so the
buildings could be evacuated, AP reported.

Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesman Rear Marshall Graito Usodo
said on Thursday that the humanitarian pause had led to even more
casualties.

Sixty-one civilians and security officers have died and 210
civilians and security officers have been injured during the
first phase of the pause.

He told a press meeting that GAM had used the first phase for
consolidation and training.

Back in Bandung, Gus Dur said that from pre-independence days
Javanese have exploited Aceh's wealth, especially natural gas.
"What happened was that Javanese, supported by the central
government, robbed Aceh."

"Aceh is part of Indonesia, and Indonesia works with Aceh.
That is why there is no way for Aceh to separate from Indonesia,"
he said. (25/sur)