Aceh settlement, a long way to go

Soegih Arto asks why should the Indonesian government conduct peace talks with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), and then lists his personal objections (The Jakarta Post, Feb. 15). Soegih Arto is to be congratulated for the consistency of his perspective, if not his commitment to peace.

There are always two sides to every conflict, and GAM -- and many others in Aceh -- believe they have legitimate grievances against Indonesia generally and the Indonesian Military (TNI) in particular. Reports of TNI atrocities in Aceh continue, even in the post-tsunami period. Is it any wonder that so many Acehnese feel alienated from Indonesia?

The Helsinki peace talks, however, are intended to try to overcome this lack of trust, hopefully by arriving at a negotiated political outcome. That outcome might be within the existing "autonomy" framework. But if negotiations are to have any meaning, the resolution might also consider something other than the status quo.

Soegih Arto thinks such talks should be held within Indonesia. The problem here is the lack of guarantee of safety. Five GAM negotiators who tried this were arrested, one of whom recently died in prison. That is also why the GAM leadership continues to live abroad.

If Soegih Arto sees the GAM leadership living abroad as an insult to Indonesia, one can only wonder at what he thinks about GAM fighters taking up weapons against Indonesia! Claiming that the issue of Aceh is Indonesia's "affair" is one perspective. But GAM claims Aceh's independence was stolen by the Dutch and illegally transferred to Indonesia. Because there is disagreement on this is why talks must be mediated by an outside organization.

Similarly, downgrading the delegation to the talks would indicate that the Indonesian government does not take the talks seriously. Fortunately, it seems these talks are indeed being taken seriously. This, along with a willingness to compromise, could potentially produce a negotiated settlement.

I agree with Soegih Arto that such a settlement remains a longshot. But unlike him, I believe it is worth at least trying.

DAMIEN KINGSBURY, Melbourne, Australia