Govt asked to revive inclusive dialog in Aceh

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