Donors press govt, GAM to honor deal

Donors press govt, GAM to honor deal

Tiarma Siboro and Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Banda Aceh

Donor countries have pressed the government and Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) to stick to the Cessation of Hostilities
Agreement, saying that military force could not bring peace to
Aceh.

Japan, the United States and the European Union -- co-chairs
of the Tokyo Preparatory Conference on Peace and Reconstruction
in Aceh -- also deplored the recent violence and threats against
members of the Joint Security Committee (JSC), which is
overseeing the implementation of the peace deal signed last
December.

"We strongly urge both sides to refrain from recourse to armed
or any violence, which is not an effective means to bring a
solution to this conflict," the donors said in a joint press
statement on Wednesday.

The donors' statement came just two days after President
Megawati Soekarnoputri instructed the Indonesian Military (TNI)
and police to prepare for any military operations to stamp out
the secessionist movement in resource-rich Aceh, where GAM has
been fighting for independence since 1976. Over 12,000 people,
mostly civilians, have died in the 26-year conflict.

The government and GAM signed on Dec. 9, 2002 a peace deal
brokered by the Switzerland-based Henry Dunant Centre (HDC).

Under the agreement, GAM agreed to accept the Special Autonomy
Status for Aceh as the sole basis for future dialog. GAM also
agreed to stop campaigning for independence and to lay down their
arms gradually.

The government, on the other hand, had agreed to halt all
military operations against GAM and to reposition its military
and police forces to a defensive stance.

Four months into the peace agreement, however, the government
accused GAM of not complying with the agreement, pointing
particularly to the movement's continued campaign for
independence and its refusal to store weapons as stipulated in
the agreement.

The government announced on Monday that it had filed a formal
request for a Joint Council meeting, a move that could lead to
its withdrawal from the agreement.

The security condition in the province has also deteriorated,
while physical threats against the international peace monitors
has increased. Last Sunday, a mob of around 1,500 people attacked
and ransacked the JSC office in Langsa, East Aceh, for what they
called JSC's failure to stop the extortion by GAM members.

In March, a mob also attacked the Takengon JSC office in South
Aceh, and this Tuesday, a group of local people asked JSC members
in Tapaktuan in West Aceh to leave.

The increasing threats against JSC members have prompted the
HDC to withdraw all JSC members to it headquarters in Banda Aceh.

"Japan, the EU, the U.S. and the World Bank urge the
government of Indonesia to take immediate steps to ensure the
physical security of monitors in the field," the donors said in a
statement.

The Philippines, from where some of JSC members come, on
Wednesday condemned the attacks and urged the Indonesian
government to take necessary measures to prevent an escalation of
violence.

Representatives of the donor countries met with Coordinating
Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono on Wednesday, and were briefed on the latest
developments in Aceh.

The representatives reportedly asked for a clarification on
Megawati's instruction to security forces to ready for military
operations in case the government decided to withdraw from the
peace accord.

"We do not have any knowledge about it (the instruction). We
just learned from the newspapers, that is why we have asked for
further investigation from both parties and ask (the rebels) to
immediately put down their weapons," Japanese Ambassador Yutaka
Iimura said after the meeting.

TNI Chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, however, said that the
government should not wait until the end of the demilitarization
period to crack down on GAM.

"We can see that GAM will not comply with the agreement and
put down their weapons by July 9, so why should we wait (until
the deadline to launch military operation)," Endriartono was
quoted by Antara as saying on Wednesday.

TNI chief for general affairs Lt. Gen. Djamari Chaniago,
meanwhile, said that TNI was preparing a huge number of
reinforcement troops for Aceh.

There are currently over 21,000 military troops posted in the
troubled province of Aceh, supported by thousands of police
officers.

GAM, on the other hand, has about 5,000 members.