Govt, GAM to discuss troop withdrawal
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government and representatives of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) are scheduled to discuss a withdrawal of Indonesian Military (TNI) troops from Aceh as part of efforts to help resolve the decades-long conflict in the province.
The TNI withdrawal will be put forward during the fifth round of peace talks between the two sides in Helsinki on July 12, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awalluddin announced before meeting Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Tuesday.
"Among the items that will be discussed are ways to end the military conflict in Aceh by withdrawing the armed forces of the two parties," said Hamid, stressing that the talks were informal in nature.
The government and GAM have engaged in four rounds of talks since late January in a bid to end the conflict in the province, which has plagued the region since the 1970s and left thousands dead.
When asked whether the TNI brass would agree to the withdrawal of its soldiers from Aceh, Hamid stated unequivocally that "there will be no problem with the TNI since they are fully committed and supportive of the peace talks."
However, last month, TNI Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto told lawmakers that the military would not withdraw its troops from Aceh as requested by GAM, and added that the TNI would continue to fight the rebels until they completely surrendered their weapons.
Elsewhere, Hamid said that other items to be included in the upcoming peace talks would be the arrangement for granting amnesties and economic compensation for the rebels.
Meanwhile, Ermaya Suradinata the head of the state-sponsored military think tank, Lemhanas, said on Tuesday that he was summoned by Kalla after some harsh criticism of the peace process during a meeting with the House of Representatives on Monday.
Ermaya told lawmakers that the talks "had crossed the line and become unconstitutional," with GAM wishing to establish a self- governing territory and a separate mechanism to control the economy of the resource-rich province.
"I was summoned by the Vice President because my statement during the hearing has offended him and the President. As their subordinate I accept the blame and I will remember it so it can make me more mature," said Ermaya after meeting Kalla.
Ermaya said that the criticism was agreed upon collectively by the Lemhanas members, but that it was a mistake to openly air such criticism in front of the lawmakers. He asked Kalla not to blame Lemhanas officials for it.
Hamid added that as a government official, Ermaya should not launch such a criticism of the government in public and should comply with decisions or policies issued by the government, in general.
"The peace talks were a decision made by the government. He (Ermaya) should follow it since he is part of the government," said Hamid.
According to Hamid, there were no indications that the government had violated anything in the Constitution or any laws in seeking peace in Aceh, as the government had based its policy on a decree issued by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in 2002.
"The MPR decree stipulates that the government should resolve the separatist movement in Aceh peacefully and with dignity. Lawmakers were directly involved in issuing that decree. Therefore, we are not violating anything in the Constitution," he argued.