Gus Dur upbeat Aceh's woes soon over

Gus Dur upbeat Aceh's woes soon over

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid maintains that the
troubles in the restive province of Aceh can be solved by the end
of March.

In an interview with private television station RCTI on Sunday
evening, Abdurrahman calmly and easily answered questions
regarding the restive provinces, but did not elaborate fully on
why he was so confident the prolonged conflicts would cease.

When pressed further to explain his conviction, Abdurrahman
referred to imminent financial assistance.

He said humanitarian aid worth Rp 248 billion (US$35 million)
would be forthcoming while massive infrastructure development was
also being planned for the province.

"The humanitarian aid is aimed at helping widows and orphans
who suffered as a result of the military operations in the past,"
the President said.

He said additional assistance would come from some Muslim
countries in the Middle East.

Abdurrahman stressed that dialog and listening to the
aspirations of the main groups in Aceh would go a long way in
appeasing the dissatisfaction there.

He identified two main groups which had to be approached --
Ulemas and Students.

He said other groups such as the bureaucracy and non-
governmental organizations would follow suit with the opinion of
the ulemas and students.

Abdurrahman reiterated that Aceh would be given a special
autonomy status. (jun)