Disarmament of GAM crucial to peace deal: Govt

Disarmament of GAM crucial to peace deal: Govt

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government said on Friday that the disarmament of the Free
Aceh Movement (GAM) in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam would be the
final crucial issue to be discussed during the upcoming peace
talks aimed at ending the decades-long conflict in the tsunami-
devastated province.

The fifth round of peace talks is slated to kick off on
Tuesday in Finland.

"It is the key to solving the problem, namely, that there will
be no more illegal weapons in Aceh," said State Minister for
Communications and Information Sofyan Djalil, who has been
playing an active role in the peace talks.

He added that the government was hopeful that the issue could
be resolved during the talks.

Sofyan said that the government and GAM had reached agreement
on 90 percent of the outstanding issues.

He added that the government would also grant GAM members
amnesty, meaning that their civil rights would be restored,
including the right to contest elections.

On Wednesday evening, Vice President Jusuf Kalla invited
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and leaders of the major
political parties to talks over dinner at his official residence
in a bid to seek political support for the peace process in Aceh.

Kalla, who is also the leader of the giant Golkar Party, has
been playing a crucial role in promoting the cause of peace in
Aceh. The government has offered greater autonomy in Aceh, but
in return is demanding that GAM drop its claim to independence.

During the gathering, Kalla asked the party leaders in
attendance to allow (former) GAM members to stand in local
elections through their respective political parties. The
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) was not
represented at the gathering.

The country's restrictive electoral law does not permit
independent candidates to contest local elections, a prohibition
widely seen as being designed to maintain Jakarta's hold on the
regions. All political parties in the country must be organized
on a nationwide basis, a requirement which would effectively
prevent ex-GAM members from establishing a recognized political
party or from standing in local elections in Aceh unless they are
nominated by one of the established, Jakarta-dominated political
parties.

The Indonesian government and GAM's exiled leaders commenced the
peace talks in February this year after the oil-rich province was
hit by the Dec. 26 tsunami.

GAM has been seeking independence for the oil-rich province
since 1976.

During a recent interview with The Jakarta Post, GAM self-
styled prime minister in exile Malik Mahmud said that he was
confident that GAM members would receive the overwhelming support
of the Acehnese people should truly democratic local elections
ever be permitted in the province by Indonesia.

Meanwhile, PDI-P Secretary General Pramono Anung Wibowo said
that his party would allow former GAM members to stand in local
elections as long as what he termed "legal and political
clarification" had been carried out.

"If the former GAM members have gone through legal and
political clarification, it would not be a problem. Otherwise,
the door will remain closed.