GAM talks focus on separate elections

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian government and Free Aceh Movement (GAM) delegates to informal talks in Helsinki began on Wednesday with a discussion on regional elections as part of the peace process in the province.

"They (the members of the GAM delegation) wonder whether the direct elections to select regional administration heads -- to elect a governor, regents, mayors or village chiefs in Aceh -- can pave the way for democratization in Aceh," Hamid Awaluddin. who is also Minister for Justice and Human Rights, told a press conference aired by Elshinta private radio station.

Hamid was referring to Law No. 32/2004 on regional governments.

The direct election of local administration heads, which will take place for the first time in June, is aimed at promoting democracy. The regional election follows the landmark direct presidential election last year.

Separately, GAM spokesman Bachtiar Abdullah said the two parties would no longer talk about special autonomy for Aceh nor independence, but about whether "it is possible to promote a truly democratic administration for Aceh."

Bachtiar said such a democratic administration required the participation of all Acehnese people.

"On the first day of the meeting, we agreed not to give any title to that democratic administration, as it won't refer to the special autonomy concept proposed by Indonesia nor to a self- governing concept proposed by us (GAM)," Bachtiar told The Jakarta Post from Helsinki.

While full independence is not on the table, GAM insists that sovereignty remains their ultimate goal.

"Independence is still not on the table, since there would be no negotiations if it was, but this does not mean that we will stop our main struggle, which is for independence," Bakhtiar said.

The fresh peace negotiations, which were driven forth by the need for international aid to reach the tsunami-struck Aceh province, are scheduled to last six days and, like the first two rounds in January and February, are being mediated by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari's Crisis Management Initiative (CMI).

When the two delegations met for the first round of talks in January it was the first time they stood face-to-face since May 2003, when the government imposed martial law in the province and launched a major military offensive against the rebels. Foreign press and aid workers were banned from the province since then.

Bakhtiar further said the two sides would only discuss certain points which would be operational in the field, including the release of GAM negotiation teams, who are currently serving prison terms for treason, and the withdrawal of 50,000 Indonesian Military (TNI) troops from Aceh.

Violence continues in the field despite the peace talks. TNI soldiers shot dead a local rebel chief in Blang Pidie area. The local commander, Miswar alias Siwai, was shot dead along with one of his men in an armed clash on Tuesday, AFP reported.

GAM has been fighting for an independent state in the western Indonesian province rich in natural resources since 1976. Rights activists have estimated that no less than 12,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since then.

Rights groups accuse both the government and GAM of abuses.