Govt asked to revive inclusive dialog in Aceh

Tiarma Siboro and Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As the Nov. 19 deadline for the end of the civil emergency draws near in the troubled province of Aceh, the new government is urged to return to an inclusive dialog with all representatives of the people. Shortly after Idul Fitri the new administration under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to review its policies in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, six months after the end of the military operations.

At a press conference on Wednesday by Imparsial, the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor, Acehnese sociologist Otto Syamsuddin said the government should return to a diplomatic approach. He said this meant a dialog not only between the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), but also civilians, including those outside Aceh, "because civilians are always the victims in such conflicts."

"If the government is reluctant to talk about human rights and political issues, at least it should talk about humanitarian issues in Aceh," said Otto, author of a few books on the problem.

Under former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, Susilo, then the chief security minister, agreed to an inclusive dialog, as part of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) signed between Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in 2002.

However negotiations collapsed, leading to the military operations to crush GAM. Yet civilian casualties continued even after martial law status was lowered to a civil emergency.

Otto noted that a decrease in casualties among civilians was seen only in brief periods when Jakarta twice sought a peaceful settlement, the first in 2000 when the administration of then president Abdurrahman Wahid initiated the "humanitarian pause".

"Why doesn't the government start with peace talks co- sponsored by the Tokyo group?" Otto asked, referring to a group of donor countries concerned with the issue including Japan, the United States and the European Union. President Susilo has said that the concept of "the unitary state of the republic is final."

The government has prepared three options for Aceh, including the extension of the state of emergency in conflict-prone areas.

Japanese envoy Yutaka Iimura reasserted on Wednesday Tokyo's position on the Aceh issue. He told The Jakarta Post that if Indonesia agrees, "we are ready to help with the reconstruction of conflict areas, including Aceh, Maluku and Papua."

Support for resolving the Aceh issue also came on Wednesday from visiting Seif al-Islam al Qaddafi, the son of Libyan President Moammar Qaddafi who met with Minister Hassan.

A number of GAM members gained training in Libya in the late 1980s, according to the Indonesian Military. However Qaddafi said his government had rejected a request to support GAM, a request once raised by a visiting GAM delegation, Antara reported.

"We could not support them because they wanted independence," he said. A local GAM spokesman, Teungku Kafrawi, told the Post that GAM prefered revived attempts at talks because "we must provide peace for the civilians here".

Civilian casualties in Aceh, May 19 2003 - Sept. 5 2004

Status Dead Injured

Military emergency I 396 159
Military emergency II 183 139
Civilian emergency 83 69
Total 662 367

Source: Imparsial/TNI