Gus Dur calls for clarity on Aceh pact

Gus Dur calls for clarity on Aceh pact

National figures -- (from left to right) Taufik Kiemas, Akbar
Tandjung, Try Sutrisno, Megawati Soekarnoputri, Abdurrahman "Gus
Dur" Wahid, Wiranto, Hariman Siregar and Wimar Witoelar -- pose
for a photograph after a meeting at Gus Dur's residence in
Ciganjur, South Jakarta.

The two-hour meeting, also attended by top politicians from a
number of political parties, was held after Friday prayers to
discuss national issues.

The forum was the third between the top national figures, with
the first and second being hosted by former vice president Try
Sutrisno and former military chief Gen. (ret.) Wiranto
respectively.

Former president Gus Dur said the Friday meeting urged the
government to be more transparent in its peace accord with the
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) that would end nearly 30 years of
conflict in the province.

The government should publicly explain everything contained
within the agreement before it is signed with GAM on Monday, he
added.

"So, the conclusion of our meeting is that the government
should be more open about the settlement of the Aceh issue. There
should be nothing concealed," Gus Dur told journalists.

"We don't know yet what the memorandum of understanding
precisely consists of, while the government will sign it with GAM
on Aug. 15."

Gus Dur said the government should again invite lawmakers to
explain to them the details of the Aceh truce, before it was
signed in Helsinki, Finland.

Earlier this week, House of Representatives leaders gave a
major boost to the Aceh peace process during a consultation
meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, although they
had initially opposed the deal due to the 'internationalization'
of the issue.

According to Gus Dur, the figures attending the Friday forum
said that during the recent meeting with House leaders, the
government had been reluctant to detail the precise contents of
the MOU, even though lawmakers had their lent support to the
peace deal.

The group also criticized the government in its attempts to
resolve issues in troubled Papua province, which they claim has
in fact worsened the situation.

The government's handling of the issue had caused the Papuan
people to revive their demands for independence from Indonesia,
Gus Dur said.

Thousands of people in Papua held rallies on Friday to oppose
the implementation of the special autonomy law for the province,
in response to the break up of their territory into three
provinces.