COHA has ceased to exist, says minister
COHA has ceased to exist, says minister
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta
The Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) has ceased to exist
after the government and separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
failed to reach an agreement during a meeting in Tokyo over the
weekend, a Cabinet minister says.
"Substantially, COHA has already ended and the role of HDC as
peace facilitator has also ended," said Minister of Foreign
Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, referring to Switzerland-based non-
governmental organization Henry Dunant Centre, which brokered the
peace pact signed on Dec. 9, 2002.
"An agreement has value only if it serves its objectives and
purposes, which in COHA's case has already failed," Hassan said.
He underlined that there was no need for the government to
officially withdraw from the deal as the break down of the peace
talks had rendered the peace deal ineffective.
The government and GAM met in Tokyo on Saturday and Sunday to
discuss ways to salvage the fragile peace in Aceh, where the
rebels have been fighting for independence for resource-rich Aceh
since 1976. Over 10,000 people, mostly civilians, have been
killed in that period.
The peace talks broke down after GAM leaders flatly rejected
the peace terms put forward by the government. The government had
demanded that GAM renounce its aspirations for independence,
accept the special autonomy status for Aceh, and lay down its
arms.
On Sunday, President Megawati Soekarnoputri issued a decree
imposing martial law in Aceh and vowed to crush GAM in the next
six months. Close to 27,000 soldiers, including 3,000
reinforcement troops, are currently stationed in the province.
The international community regretted on Monday the failure of
both the government and GAM to seize the opportunity to settle
the Aceh problem through peaceful means and encouraged both
parties to return to the negotiating table.
The United States, European Union and Japan -- cochairs of the
Aceh reconstruction meeting in Tokyo last year -- said they "do
not believe that obstacles to a peaceful solution are
insurmountable, even at this late hour".
"For that reason, it is of grave concern that renewed
hostilities would take Aceh further away from the path of peace,"
they said in a statement on Monday.
British Ambassador to Indonesia Richard Gozney said it was
regrettable that the Tokyo meeting failed, but stressed that he
could understand the decision to launch military operations in
Aceh.
"Indonesia has been serious in attempting to salvage peace in
Aceh. My government respects Indonesia's requirement in the peace
talks," he said.
Malaysian Deputy Defense Minister Shafie Apdal, meanwhile,
urged Indonesia to restore peace in Aceh province as soon as
possible, saying the violence there could undermine stability in
the region.
Acknowledging that the problem was for Indonesia to resolve,
he said: "A resolution is important to preserve peace and
stability in our region."
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark also called for the
resumption of peace talks.
"It's a very worrying situation and the position of the New
Zealand government is that we would like to see the parties
return to mediation and negotiation,"she told a news conference.
"We feel that special autonomy was a workable solution if both
sides were committed to it and the only way to work that through
is to get back into mediation," Clark said.
Japanese officials expressed a willingness to host more
meetings between the two sides.
But Tokyo has no plans to push such talks until it assesses
the mood of both sides, underlining that after the Sunday's
meeting "both sides are a little emotional."
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said in a statement
that Japan wants to facilitate a peaceful solution and called the
breakdown of the two-day talks "extremely disappointing".