GAM preparing gun handover

GAM preparing gun handover

BANDA ACEH, Aceh: The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has named five
locations where it will turn over a third batch of weapons to
foreign monitors as part of the peace agreement signed in August.

The Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) expects to receive and
destroy 210 arms from the former rebels in Aceh Jaya, West Aceh,
Nagan Raya, Southwest Aceh and South Aceh regencies between Nov.
14 and Nov. 18, AMM head Pieter Feith said after a regular
meeting between representatives of GAM and the Indonesian
government on Tuesday.

One day after the disarmament process is completed, the
Indonesian government is slated to withdraw 5,596 troops and
1,350 police personnel from Aceh in three stages.

Feith said both sides had shown a strong commitment to the
peace deal, which marked an end to three decades of armed
conflict in the natural resource-rich province.

GAM has so far surrendered 424 weapons, with 52 others being
disputed as the Indonesian Military has refused to consider them
part of the 840 firearms the group has to submit by the end of
the year. -- Antara