Govt, GAM get talking in Helsinki

Govt, GAM get talking in Helsinki

Tiarma Siboro and Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) are ready to
resume peace talks in Helsinki later this week, with both sides
planning to send high-level officials, according to people
familiar with the talks.

A source said that the government was planning to offer
amnesty to GAM rebels, but that it would maintain that Aceh
remained a part of the unitary state of Indonesia.

The source said that the talks would be held from Jan. 28 to
Jan. 30, and would be facilitated by the Finland-based Crisis
Management Initiative (CMI), a mediation group led by former
Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, which has extensive
experience in mediating conflicts.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security
Affairs Widodo Adi Sucipto will lead the Indonesian delegation,
which also includes Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda,
Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaludin, State
Minister of Communications and Information Sofyan Djalil and
senior military officer Maj. Gen. Syarifuddin Tippe, who in the
late 1990s was in charge of the military command in Aceh.

The source said that the delegation, the strongest delegation
ever as previous talks were led by senior diplomats, would leave
for Finland on Wednesday afternoon. The government has assigned
Hamid as its chief negotiator.

Meanwhile, a source from GAM said that most of the top leaders
of the movement, which has been struggling for independence since
1976, would be in attendance. They include self-styled Aceh Prime
Minister Malik Machmood, its Minister of Foreign Affairs Zaini
Abdullah, GAM spokesman Bakhtiar Abdullah and other GAM political
leaders residing in Malaysia and Australia.

Details about the planned talks, however, remain sketchy.
Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi said earlier in the day that the
government had not yet set a date nor place for talks with GAM.

It is also not completely clear what CMI would be tasked to
do.

Meanwhile, a GAM official said that the group wanted the
Helsinki meeting to focus only on reaching a cease-fire in Aceh,
to ensure smooth humanitarian relief operation in the tsunami-
devastated province, which has seen nearly 230,000 people killed
or missing and presumed dead.

"Our concern now is how to revive the livelihoods of the
Acehnese, who are suffering the most from the tsunami. Stop the
violence. We are ready to go to the negotiation table to bring
it into reality," he said, but quickly added that any talks
concerning the Indonesian government's demands for GAM rebels to
surrender their weapons and quit struggling for the separation of
Aceh should be held in separate talks when the rehabilitation
work was complete.

"The (last) issue can be discussed later as it will require
more time," he said.

The government has said that it had instructed its military
troops in Aceh to stop offensive attacks against GAM rebels and
focus on protecting the ongoing humanitarian work in Aceh. The
military claimed last week it had killed around 208 rebels since
the tsunami because the rebels were said to be trying to disrupt
the relief operation.

The tsunami disaster has actually provided the two sides with
a chance for a peaceful solution to the decades-long conflict
that has killed thousands of people.

Meanwhile, Chief of the Indonesian Military (TNI) Gen.
Endriartono Sutarto was quoted by Antara as saying that the TNI
could accept a peaceful solution to the Aceh conflict planned by
the government.

"Since it's a political decision, the TNI will not interfere,
although we provide input to the government in the decision-
making process," he said, without elaborating.