Acehnese pins hope on Helsinki talks

Acehnese pins hope on Helsinki talks

Tony Hotland and Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post/Banda Aceh

The Acehnese have long dreamed of peace and prosperity in their
homeland, which has seen decades of conflict and, at the end of
last year, tsunamis that left more than 166,000 people killed or
missing and presumed dead.

Local religious leaders and other community figures urged on
Wednesday the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to end
the separatist conflict in the predominantly Muslim Nanggroe Aceh
Darussalam.

The plea came as the government and rebel group leaders geared
up for renewed peace talks in Helsinki, Finland, later this week,
following the devastating tidal waves, which many have suggested
provided a chance for peace in Aceh.

"The warring parties must sit together and be willing to
backtrack, rather than stubbornly maintaining their different
stances, because such an attitude cannot result in anything
positive and will only prolong the misery of the Acehnese,"
Tengku Baihaqi Yahya, secretary-general of the Aceh association
of the Dayah Muslim scholars, told The Jakarta Post in Banda
Aceh.

He said an earlier series of negotiations between the rebels
and the government -- who once reached a truce, albeit temporary,
in 2002 -- had broken down, due to both sides' unwillingness to
compromise.

In the end, those who suffered the most were the ordinary,
innocent people of Aceh, he added.

"Everything that happens here, and is related to the TNI (the
Indonesian Military)-GAM conflict, has caused nothing but
suffering and trauma for the Acehnese. And, if the next peace
talks are not successful, it will be everybody's loss.

"You can imagine how much money the government has spent on
its military operations here. But after all that, nothing better
has emerged for the Acehnese. Do they want to continue in this
way, after such a disaster?" Tengku Baihaqi said.

He called on both the TNI and GAM to involve local Muslim
leaders in peace talks this week, arguing that religious figures
are eager to participate, as long as their security is assured.

"Therefore, the talks should be held in a Muslim country
instead of Finland," he said.

Similarly, Acehnese figure Hasballah M. Saad suggested that
the government and the separatist group should put the interests
of the local people as its top priority during the peace talks.

He expressed hopes that the planned dialog would result in a
chance for the two sides to focus on rebuilding Aceh after the
catastrophic tsunami.

"They only need a common understanding. If the demand for
Aceh's independence is impossible, they have to formulate another
resolution," said the former human rights minister.

Hasballah said the amnesty offer proposed by President Susilo
Yudhoyono for GAM members could become a starting point for a
brighter future in Aceh.

If GAM did not get involved in the reconstruction and
rehabilitation of Aceh, the rebels could not claim themselves as
freedom fighters struggling on behalf of all Acehnese people, he
explained.

The most important thing is that both sides should use common
sense during the peace talks, he added.

A similar sentiment was expressed by Tengku Muslim Ibrahim,
chairman of the Aceh Muslim Scholar's Consultative Assembly, who
said that the Acehnese had suffered "more than enough for
nothing", due to the separatist conflict.

He said the tsunami catastrophe could be viewed as a chance to
stop the violence.

Ordinary people have voiced their own appeals for peace.

"Please, try your best during the talks, we need peace here.
Make it work this time, so we no longer live in fear. Personally,
I want Aceh to remain part of Indonesia, so GAM must surrender,"
said Teuku Darnis, 49, who works for a labor agency in Aceh.

"In fact, I don't care whether we are independent or not, as
long as our lives improve," said another resident, Helmi.