GAM reluctant to surrender arms: Imam Suja'

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

The mystery behind the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)'s decision to delay signing a peace agreement with the government was partly explained by a respected Acehnese Muslim leader over the weekend.

Tengku Imam Suja', one of six Acehnese religious leaders and public figures invited by the Henry Dunan Centre (HDC) to meet with GAM leaders in Geneva last week, told The Jakarta Post that GAM was still reluctant to turn over their arms as stipulated in the draft peace agreement.

"GAM fighters feel that if their weapons are collected and put in storage, they will have no more power and they don't want that," Imam Suja' said.

The government had wanted to sign the peace agreement before the fasting month of Ramadhan began, probably on Nov. 6.

Other religious leaders and public figures invited by the HDC to hold talks with GAM leaders in Geneva were Muslim Ibrahim, Daniel Djuned, Isa Sulaiman, Alyasa' Abubakar and Hakim Nyak.

They met with Hasan Tiro, Bakhtiar Abdullah, Zaini Abdullah and Malik Mahmud.

According to Imam Suja', they told the GAM leaders that the level of violence in Aceh had worsened. "We told them that violence will continue if there is no dialog," he told the Post.

GAM has been fighting for independence for the resource-rich province since 1976. Over 10,000 people, mostly civilians, are believed to have been killed in the violence.

According to Imam Suja', two issues are holding GAM back from signing a peace agreement with the government: the collection of weapons and the role of the police during the cease-fire.

Chapter II, Letter B of the draft peace agreement stipulates that GAM has to collect its arms and put them in storage, co- guarded by GAM members and troops from a third party, while the Indonesian Military (TNI) must redefine its role from an offensive force to a defensive one.

To that end, GAM has to designate 10 locations where it will store its weapons and submit a list of weapons to the third party, which will then deploy troops to guard the weapons.

The storage areas will be locked and controlled by GAM members and troops from a third party, who will be authorized to carry out unannounced inspections of the arms storage sites.

Another issue stopping GAM from signing the peace agreement is the role of the police during the so-called humanitarian pause to the violence, according to Imam Suja'. GAM, according to him, is afraid the police will use the cease-fire to hunt the rebels.

"The role of the police, according to prevailing Indonesian law, is to go after armed civilians, and that means going after GAM only because GAM has weapons," Imam Suja' quoted GAM leaders as saying.

GAM leaders, he said, still wanted to discuss these issues among themselves, which is why they delayed the signing of the peace agreement until after the Idul Fitri festivities.

"They are asking for more time to discuss the collection of weapons and the role of police," Imam Suja' said.

He also said GAM did not want the government to give it any ultimatums. "It seems to me GAM does not want the government to set any deadlines; they will not negotiate under pressure."

He said the government and GAM had reached an agreement on the composition of a planned Monitoring Committee that would supervise the cessation of hostilities in the country's westernmost province.

The Monitoring Committee, he said, would consist of 150 members -- 50 from GAM, 50 from TNI and 50 from foreign countries.

"The committee consists of 50 field commanders from GAM, 50 field officers from TNI and 50 from foreign countries. They will be assigned throughout Aceh and fully armed," Imam Suja' said.