'GAM mulls attendance at proposed meeting'

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Opening a window of opportunity for peace to return to Aceh, the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) said it would consider attending the planned Joint Council meeting which was called for by the government to evaluate the implementation of the peace accord.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the top security minister said on Sunday that he had received on Saturday the news from the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC), which brokered the peace agreement.

"It was an unwritten notification from HDC saying that GAM is considering attendance at the Joint Council meeting and we maintain our position that we remain open to peace," Susilo said, adding that the detailed agenda of the meeting would be discussed later.

He, however, reiterated that the government would not hesitate to use the (military approach) if GAM failed to show good faith in sticking to the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA).

"We hope GAM will finally accept the special autonomy and lay down their weapons gradually after the Joint Council meeting," the minister said referring to the COHA which calls for both parties to accept autonomy as a starting point and for GAM to lay down its weapons before July.

The announcement gives a ray of hope that renewed war may be averted in Aceh as GAM said early last week that it would not attend the meeting.

The government has called for the meeting to evaluate the implementation of the COHA as it believed GAM had violated it too much.

Jakarta and GAM signed the COHA on Dec. 9, 2002 in order to end the 27-year conflict that claimed more than 12,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri has ordered the military to prepare its forces to launch an operation to crush the separatist movement, but that has sparked strong opposition from numerous voices. Civilian leaders called on the government to dismiss the military operation and, instead, pursue a dialog that involved civilian leaders to resolve the conflict.

The peace agreement allows one of the warring parties to call for a joint council meeting if it felt the agreement was not being complied with.

"It is stated in the deal that a Joint Council meeting could convene should one party ask for it, so I expect GAM not to worsen the situation but to come to the meeting so we can settle any differences in the implementation," said Susilo.