Govt, Aceh rebels agree on steps for cease-fire

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.