Govt warns of long, rough road to peace in Aceh

Govt warns of long, rough road to peace in Aceh

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Banda Aceh

The government on Wednesday laid out an action plan to implement
Monday's historic peace agreement that it signed with the Free
Aceh Movement (GAM) with a warning that it might take years
before an enduring peace returned to troubled Aceh.

Coordinating Minister for Security and Political Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said fresh hostility and violations of
the peace accord were almost certain to occur in the first months
after the signing, but none of that should stop the peace
process, he said.

"The agreement was a choice and not just an attempt, so bear
in mind the meaning of having made that choice," Susilo told a
press briefing after arriving from Geneva late Wednesday.

"The engine of peace must not be stopped," he said, as he
called on all parties to ensure the peace accord worked.

He said the government, in cooperation with GAM leaders and
the international observers, would try to handle any possible
incidents, including skirmishes and friction, to try to build
mutual trust since the long-awaited peace would depend on both
sides' reciprocal gestures to allow the peace to reign in the
region.

Tengku Zainuri, field commander of GAM's military wing in
Pasee District, appreciated the military's good gesture to stop
its military operations after the peace accord signing.

He said the recent release of 50 rebels detained by the
military showed the government's commitment to ending the
hostility and creating peace in Aceh.

"We are waiting for the military's further steps to withdraw
from the province in the next seven months," he said.

He conceded that GAM Commander Muzakir Manaf had ordered all
rebels to cease and desist and recalled them to base.

The agreement was signed by Jakarta chief negotiator Wiryono
Sastrohandoyo and GAM negotiator Zaini Abdullah at the Swiss
headquarters of the Henry Dunant Centre in Geneva on Monday.

It marked the end of some two and a half years of negotiation
initiated by former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid after
several years of military repression by his predecessors.

GAM had been fighting for the independence of the oil and gas
rich province since 1976. As Jakarta's military clashed almost
daily with GAM thousands died, mostly civilians. More than 1,700
have been reported killed this year alone.

International observers have accused all sides with human
rights violations. And there is concern the deep animosity will
make it difficult for the peace agreement to last.

Hailed by many observers, the accord drew a number of
skeptical comments to which Susilo admitted they were well-
founded.

"Implementing the deal will be tough," he said.

The Joint Security Commission (JSC) will play the crucial part
of supervising the implementation of the peace accord.

To be established within the next months, the JSC further acts
as a settlement body for conflicts and violations with the
authority to sanction violators.

Also scheduled for the first six months is the transfer of aid
to the victims of the conflict. This would include helping the
return of thousands of refugees, and rebuilding schools,
community health centers and houses of worship that have been
destroyed during more than two decades of fighting, said Susilo.
All this marks the second step of the agenda.

There is however no timetable on the third and fourth step of
the agenda. Susilo said that peace must be assured first before
moving on to other efforts.

The third step calls for the Acehnese to elect a new local
government and legislative council. This would be after the All-
Inclusive dialog by a cross section of Acehnese figures to map
out Aceh's future. The dialog, which will involve former members
of GAM and many others, was slated for earlier this year but was
suspended due to ongoing violence at that time.

Susilo said the dialog conclude that there needs to be
amendments to the special autonomy Law No 18/2001 which
guarantees that 70 percent of Aceh's' oil and gas revenue stays
in the province.

The fourth step deals with rebuilding Aceh's wrecked
infrastructure such as roads and bridges to rekindle economic
activities in the province.

Twenty-three donor countries have agreed to set up a post-war
trust fund for rebuilding Aceh. No amount has been pledged as yet
but the funds would come in addition to the Rp 6 trillion the
government has set aside for the province under its special
autonomy status.

The four-step agenda to implement the Aceh peace accord

1. Peace-keeping and confidence-building measures: two-month
period, followed by a five-month period for GAM to disarm
and for TNI and the police send most of the troops back to
their home bases.

2. Humanitarian aid and rehabilitation of social infrastructure:
bringing home refugees, rebuilding schools, mosques and
other social facilities. Revitalizing farming and fishing
activities.

3. Holding an All-Inclusive dialog and elect a new government in
which GAM will be allowed as a political entity/party

4. Economic reconstruction of the province by rebuilding
the province's infrastructures.