Govt likely to revive talks with GAM

Govt likely to revive talks with GAM

Ivy Susanti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government hopes to resume peace talks with Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) leaders later this month, Minister of Foreign
Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said on Wednesday.

A previous truce between the two sides collapsed amid mutual
recriminations in 2003.

The minister, however, declined to speculate on what kind of
an outcome such a meeting might produce.

The venue and the date for the talks would be determined
later, Hassan added.

Following the Dec. 26 earthquake and the subsequent tidal wave
that killed over 115,000 people in Aceh, the government and GAM
announced a cease-fire and shifted their attention to helping
survivors of the disaster,

"We hope and think that it's quite realistic that by the end
of this month both sides can sit down together for a meeting,"
Hassan said.

"I have noticed that the government and GAM have sensed an
opportunity -- in the wake of the disaster -- to end the
conflict. Reconstruction and rehabilitation in Aceh, which may
take up to five years, will only be capable of taking place in a
secure and politically stable environment."

The minister said that there had been preliminary, informal
talks between the government and GAM leaders in Aceh that had
produced positive signals regarding the possibility of a formal
dialog.

He added that the government might ask a third party to serve
as a mediator. "We may employ a mediator but, at this point, we
cannot give any names."

The Geneva-based Henri Dunant Centre for Humanitarian
Dialogue, backed by the United States, the European Union and
Japan, mediated during a previous round of talks prior to the
breakdown of the process in 2003.

Hassan said that amnesties for GAM members might be possible.

"The Indonesian government will consider this if GAM is
willing to sit down for reconciliation talks to end the Aceh
conflict.

"We won't talk now about the contents of any agreement that
might be reached during the meeting -- whether on the suspension
of the legal process in Sweden, or rehabilitation or amnesty for
GAM rebels -- because I think it's too early to speculate on
these matters." he said.

The Swedish government arrested three GAM leaders last June --
founder Hasan Tiro, self-styled Aceh foreign minister Zaini
Abdullah and "prime minister" Malik Mahmud -- at the request of
Indonesia, which alleged that the three were guilty of offenses
under international law.

A Swedish court released Zaini and Mahmud a few days later,
citing lack of evidence. Tiro was not taken into custody for
health reasons.

All the rebel leaders hold Swedish passports and cannot be
extradited for trial in Indonesia.

Zaini said on Wednesday that he could not comment on the
proposal for formal negotiations. "We still do not know the
specifics of the plan," Zaini told AP in Sweden. "We prefer to
hold the talks (outside Indonesia), but let us see the proposal
first."

GAM separatists have been waging a rebellion against Jakarta
since 1976 to fight for an independent Aceh.

The government and the rebels achieved a peace truce in Geneva
in 2002 as a starting point to an all-inclusive dialog in Aceh.
The accord broke down in Tokyo in May 2003, with each side
accusing the other of bad faith.

During the Tokyo talks, Jakarta offered a special autonomy
package for Aceh, which would give local people more control over
their own affairs, but adamantly rejected GAM's demand for an
independent state.

The government later imposed martial law in Aceh for one year
until May 2004 in an attempt to crush the rebel movement. The
province since then has been under a state of civil emergency.

More than 2,300 rebels have been killed in military operations
since May 2003, according to the military. But human rights
groups say many of the victims were actually civilians, a charge
denied by the government.