Govt presses GAM to sign deal before Ramadhan

Agencies, Jakarta

The government is pressing the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to sign a peace agreement before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan starts, in order to bring an end to violence in the country's westernmost province as soon as possible.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said here Sunday that he welcomed GAM's decision to declare a unilateral ceasefire during Ramadhan but insisted that the government wanted the peace agreement that had been intensively prepared in the past three months to be signed before the holy month begins.

"Our wish is (to sign the peace pact) before Ramadhan. They (GAM) want a delay while we still want to move ahead. The sooner the better," Susilo was quoted by Antara as saying after seeing President Megawati Soekarnoputri and her entourage off at the Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport on Sunday.

Megawati left for Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Sunday to attend a two-day summit of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Susilo said signing a deal during Ramadhan was better than no deal at all but said a military ceasefire was not enough.

"With a formal signing of a peace agreement, it is expected that conflicts in the field can be fully stopped. So we don't just want a ceasefire, we want a peace agreement."

Ramadhan is due to begin on Nov. 6.

GAM has been fighting for independence for resource-rich Aceh since 1976. Over 10,000 people, mostly innocent civilians, have been killed since then.

GAM leadership declared on Friday its ceasefire during Ramadhan from Nov. 4 through Dec. 10, during which it would withdraw its troops to defensive positions with the minimal use of weapons for self defense only.

In a press statement issued on Thursday Oct. 31 in Geneva, the GAM leadership said that the meetings with the six civilian figures -- academics and religious clerics -- had helped them conclude that the time was right for a peace agreement with Jakarta and could be done by December.

It also urged the government to instruct its military (TNI) and police (Polri) to respect the ceasefire during Ramadhan.

The six civilian figures went to Geneva, Switzerland early last week upon the invitation of the Henry Dunant Centre, which has been sponsoring peace talks between the government and GAM since 2000.

Following the meeting with GAM on Nov. 1, Imam Suja, one of the religious leaders, said he was taking back a message to Aceh that GAM would like to end the conflict.

According to Susilo, public figures and religious leaders in Aceh also wanted the final peace agreement to be signed as soon as possible.

"So, the wish of Acehnese people is the same with the hope of government," Susilo surmised.

He said that the government would, in the next few days, talk to the Henry Dunant Centre to ask for clarification on the reason behind GAM's decision to delay signing the peace agreement.

"Why do they unilaterally decide to delay (the signing) until after Idul Fitri (early December)? We want to know the real problem," Susilo said.

Speaking to Reuters by telephone from Banda Aceh, some 1,700 km northwest of Jakarta, a rebel spokesman said Sunday that escalating violence in recent months prompted the latest delay.

"We regret the delay but we have to do it because the conditions in the field are not good and not supportive," spokesman Teungku Sofyan said.

"The Indonesian military and the police are still launching their military aggression against the people of Aceh. In fact, there has been an increase in aggression during September- October," he added.