Give peace in Aceh a chance

With just three days before representatives of the Indonesian government and the Gerakan Aceh Merdeka or the Aceh Free Movement (GAM) meet, it would be best for both parties to build a condition that is most conducive for negotiations. If peace in Aceh is the ultimate goal of these talks, slated to take place in Tokyo on Friday, then both parties should show goodwill. That means creating an atmosphere conducive for peace, and that means refraining from making statements that increase tensions.

In this sense, we welcome the change in rhetoric from the government over the weekend. President Megawati Soekarnoputri, speaking in Bucharest, Rumania, categorically dismissed all speculations about an imminent military operation in Aceh. Placing her hopes on the Tokyo meeting, she stressed that the military option was only a contingency plan, and that the government was still looking at other options besides war to resolve the Aceh problem.

Her stance is in strong contrast to the constant beating of the war drums by the Indonesian Military (TNI) these past few weeks. The TNI's hardline position, supported at times by some hawks in Megawati's Cabinet, gave the impression that the decision to launch the military operation had already been made. The TNI has even began reinforcing its presence in Aceh, further lending credence to the rumors that a military operation was inevitable.

Megawati's statement on Sunday, made during her foreign trip, has assured us about who is really in charge here, and that even when she is not in the country, the President, and nobody else, makes the crucial decisions for this country.

For what it is worth, the TNI's tough posture has forced GAM to agree to return to the negotiating table to discuss the future of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement it signed with the Indonesian government in December.

GAM had initially rejected Jakarta's call for a meeting of the Joint Security Council, which is made up of the representatives of the two parties and the Henry Dunant Centre, the Geneva-based organization that helped broker the December agreement.

The Indonesian government was acting within its right in requesting the council meeting. And given that the implementation of the Geneva agreement appears to have grounded to a halt, such a meeting is certainly merited, to salvage the entire peace process. Having come this far since the December agreement, it would be wrong for both parties to squander the progress.

Gone is the mutual trust between the government/TNI and GAM that had been painfully built in the first two months of the Geneva agreement. The tough words exchanged between leaders of the government and GAM since then suggest that the will to work towards peace appear to be waning. The rising number of armed clashes between the two forces, and the inevitable casualty among civilians, also suggest that the Indonesian government and GAM are drifting further apart.

Given the escalation of tension, is war then inevitable? No, unless leaders in the two camps, the government of Indonesia and GAM, have lost all their common sense.

War is never a solution, and this is especially true for Aceh.

The military option has been tried before, in the 1990s, with devastating effect, to the point that the military itself became part of the problem because of the massive human rights atrocities it committed against the people of Aceh. With the wounds from that dark episode barely healed, launching another military operation in Aceh today would be disastrous.

Now that both parties have agreed to give negotiations another chance, they should go to Tokyo with a commitment to resolve their differences in a peaceful manner. They should bear in mind that this meeting is not about nursing their bruised egos, or about their political goals -- an independent state or keeping Aceh as part of Indonesia.

This meeting should really be about the people of Aceh, about what is best for them, and who know better about what is best for the Aceh people, but the people of Aceh themselves. Let them decide their own future at the All-Inclusive Dialog that is supposed to be held once the hostilities in Aceh cease.

The task of GAM and TNI is therefore clear. They have to work to bring the hostilities to an end once and for all. The road map for this has already been provided by the Geneva agreement. They have even started the process, but certain parties now appear to be having second thoughts.

If the welfare of the people of Aceh is their true concern, all it really requires is for the government of Indonesia and GAM to fulfill by their promises made in the Geneva agreement. Now, is that so difficult to do?