Aceh talks to continue in Finland

Aceh talks to continue in Finland

Paal Aarsaether, Agence France-Presse, Helsinki

The government and representatives of separatist Aceh rebels have agreed to participate in a second round of peace talks here later this month, Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) said on Friday.

The talks will take place at the Koeningstedt estate outside Helsinki starting on Feb. 21, and will be mediated by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, who chaired a first round of talks at the end of January.

"The second meeting will aim to explore whether it would be possible to find a comprehensive solution within the framework of special autonomy for Aceh," CMI said in a statement.

Aceh was the area worst hit by the devastating tsunami that slammed into Indian Ocean countries on Dec. 26, wiping out many coastal villages and leaving more than 231,000 people dead or missing and some 400,000 homeless in the province alone.

Since the disaster, Jakarta and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have been under pressure from the international community to end their drawn-out conflict to facilitate relief operations, but fighting has continued with more than 200 rebels killed since the tidal wave struck, according to the Indonesian Military.

Indonesian negotiators expressed hopes on Saturday for a positive outcome in the upcoming second round of talks, but stressed they would not entertain demands for independence.

Jakarta would not compromise nor give in to demands for independence by GAM, but would stick to its offer of special autonomy for the province, communications minister Sofyan Jalil told AFP.

"We hope that the new round of talks will bring a new, dignified and positive solution but it will remain under the framework of (Indonesia's) special autonomy program," said Jalil, who is among four ministers heading the negotiating team.

But he pledged Jakarta would endeavor to seek a "peaceful and comprehensive" conclusion to the 29-year conflict and ensure long-term development could be carried out in the tsunami- battered province.

However, Nur Djuli, a member of the GAM delegation, told AFP on Friday in Helsinki that he doubted a permanent solution would be reached immediately.

"The priority for Indonesia (the government) is a final solution, but for us this is a conflict that has lasted a long time and is not possible to solve overnight. We must normalize the situation and make it possible for the international community to come freely and without fear to bring humanitarian aid," he said.

"For us, it is important to understand the Indonesian offer. We must know what is behind it. There is autonomy and there is autonomy," Djuli said, but added that "we must remain optimistic, otherwise this is a waste of time ... It is always better to discuss around a table than killing each other on the battle field".

GAM has been fighting for independence for the oil-rich province on the northern tip of Sumatra since 1976, claiming that the Indonesian government plundered its resources. Since the start of the conflict, more than 12,000 people have been killed.

The fresh round of talks will be "decisive", Ahtisaari told AFP earlier, since it would likely give a clear indication as to where the negotiations were heading.

The talks might be GAM's last chance at becoming part of the civilian political process in Aceh, since the rebel movement could be sidelined by other groups in the province if the negotiations fail.