Govt, Aceh rebels agree on steps for cease-fire

Richard Waddington Reuters Geneva

Indonesian officials and Aceh rebels have agreed to work "with all speed" on an effective cease-fire to end decades of bloodshed in the restive province.

In a joint statement after two days of talks in Switzerland on Friday, the two sides said they had agreed that an autonomy package offered by the government for the province could be a starting point for negotiations on a political settlement.

"To enable this process to take place, both parties agree to work with all speed on an agreement on cessation of hostilities with an adequate mechanism for accountability of the parties to such an agreement," they said.

Rebels have been pressing for full independence for Aceh province, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, which accounts for one-fifth of Indonesia's oil and gas exports.

The statement said that the Geneva-based Henry Dunant Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, which has been acting as mediator, would help facilitate talks between "all elements" of Acehnese society and get their views on the autonomy package.

"This will lead to the election of a democratic government in Aceh, Indonesia," the statement added, without going into any detail on its powers.

Rebel representatives said that the two days of talks, held at an undisclosed location in Switzerland, had brought progress in ending a conflict that has cost thousands of lives.

"We moved closer together," said Zaini Abdullah, a key negotiator for the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) whose exiled leadership is based in Sweden.

He said he was optimistic that violence, in which up to 2,000 people are estimated to have been killed in 2001 alone, could soon be ended. "I am hopeful for a cease-fire. It really has to come," he said.

The two sides agreed in June 2000 to stop fighting but the truce did not last.

Indonesian officials could not immediately be contacted to comment on the outcome of the talks, which were attended by several international advisers -- including Anthony Zinni, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Britain's Lord Avebury and former Thai foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan.

Abdullah said that the plan was for negotiations to resume in Switzerland in July.

In Aceh, both the local military and the Free Aceh Movement praised the agreement, saying it was a starting point to seek a permanent, peaceful solution to the prolonged conflict.

Lt. Col. Firdaus, spokesman for the Iskandar Muda Military Command overseeing Aceh, told The Jakarta Post in Banda Aceh on Saturday that the military would comply with the cease-fire if the rebels gave up their arms and resumed normal life.

"We will continue patrolling all regions in the province to maintain security and order and create a feeling of safety among the people. There is no reason for us to shoot rebels if they have given up their arms and returned to society from their hideouts in the forests," he said.

He added that the military was also prepared to join the all- inclusive Aceh dialog in the province to seek a comprehensive solution to the problem.

Ishak Daud, spokesman for GAM in East Aceh and Peurelak, said the special autonomy with the implementation of Islamic law would be a preliminary step to fight for higher objectives for the province's future.

"We are actually criticizing the administration of Nangroe Aceh Darussalam and its Islamic law because we are against the special autonomy," he said.

According to him, GAM will continue to wage their guerrilla war should the local military and police continue patrolling rural areas.