Govt, GAM agree to meet

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Banda Aceh

Despite the escalating tension in Aceh, both the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) expressed their commitment to salvaging the peace process.

They signed the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) with the mediation of the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC) in Geneva, Switzerland on Dec. 9, 2002.

Jakarta has been trying to emphasize peaceful dialogs as a top priority to end the decades-long conflict that has killed more than 12,000 Acehnese people and displaced hundreds of thousands of others, but is talking tough if certain demands are not met.

Following a hearing with a number of senior government officials here on Thursday, House Speaker Akbar Tandjung said Indonesia would militarily crush the separatist movement only if the peaceful method that the government was trying failed.

He said he had high hopes for the planned Joint Council meeting, in which the government and GAM would discuss ways of salvaging the peace agreement.

They are scheduled to hold the Joint Council, likely, in Tokyo, on April 25, to evaluate the COHA implementation and violations of it.

He said the House leadership backed the proposed military operation as a last resort.

"If peaceful dialog fails to settle the problem and GAM insists on campaigning for independence, the government must take stern measures," said Akbar, also chairman of Golkar Party.

During the press conference, Akbar was accompanied by House deputy speaker Tosari Widjaja, legislators Ishak Latuconsina, Ibrahim Ambong, Ahmad Farhan Hamid and Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Also attending the closed-door meeting were nine other ministers, Indonesian Military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, and National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar.

The government and the House agreed to launch the military operation only if GAM remained noncommittal on special autonomy for Aceh, continued to demand independence, refused to lay down its weapons and continued to tax the people.

Susilo concurred and said the military operation would be taken as a last resort.

"We will assess whether or not the situation is still conducive to dialog ... However, based on existing laws a military operation is allowed," he added.

Endriartono confirmed that the Joint Council meeting with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) would likely take place in Tokyo on April 25.

"We believe that the meeting will be held in Tokyo on April 25 but it is still being discussed," he said.

Tokyo has been mentioned as a neutral venue.

Meanwhile, plans were being readied in the event that a military offensive was to take place.

Da'i Bachtiar said he would deploy more troops and change the role of the Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) in Aceh back into a combat force before the military operation was launched, in a reference to the COHA which calls for Brimob to assume regular police duties and withdraw to bases.

"We will be waiting for the government's decision after the Joint Council meeting," he remarked.

The situation in the province deteriorated significantly in the last ten days as rebels and security personnel have been involved in gun battles in several areas of the province.

Most villages in North Aceh regency were silent shortly after dusk as the local military and the police have intensified their patrols and sweeps of the area to arrest rebels who have reportedly been collecting taxes from residents.

Giving an interview with The Jakarta Post in a remote village in North Aceh, GAM spokesman Teungku Sofyan Dawod expressed GAM's commitment to pursue peace talks to save the COHA.

"Only with peaceful negotiations, will the Aceh question be resolved without casualties to GAM, the military, the police or the people. We're committed to the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement," he said.

Sofyan declined to go into detail on what steps would need to be taken or what things needed changing, but said GAM would send its delegates to the Joint Council meeting.

Asked to comment on the planned military operation, Sofyan said it would be a serious violation and Indonesia should be given harsh sanctions.

He insisted that GAM had prepared for the worst, including a military operation, should the peace deal collapse.

According to him, both HDC and the Joint Security Council it set up have played an important role in helping everyone abide by COHA.

Separately, Sayed Muksin, chairman of Commission A at the Aceh provincial legislature, criticized the HDC and claimed they had taken GAM's side during the implementation of COHA over the last several months.

Speaking after a closed-door meeting with government officials in Banda Aceh on Friday, Sayed believed that the situation was getting worse in the province because of HDC's failure to press GAM to comply with COHA.