Govt, GAM to discuss troop withdrawal

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.