House, ministers to prepare contingency plan for Aceh

House, ministers to prepare contingency plan for Aceh

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has scheduled a meeting with the House of
Representatives (DPR) for Wednesday to evaluate the situation in
Aceh, including the preparation of a contingency plan for the
province.

The meeting is expected to come up with some alternatives if a
military operation to quell the separatist Free Aceh Movement
(GAM) becomes unavoidable.

As many as seven military officials and ministers who are in
charge of security affairs will discuss the matter with the House
Commission I.

"We will assess the situation in Aceh from several aspects to
hopefully prevent adverse impacts (should a military operation be
launched," Commission I chairman, Ibrahim Ambong, said here on
Monday.

Among the officials who will attend the meeting are
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono, Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil,
Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno, Minister of Foreign
Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, Minister of Justice and Human Rights
Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Indonesian Military Chief Gen.
Endriartono Sutarto and National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar.

Ambong, also a legislator from the Golkar Party, explained
that his commission had actually called on the military to
prepare a contingency plan in facing a possible force majeure
should the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) that
Indonesia and GAM signed on Dec. 9, 2002, failed to end the 27-
year conflict.

He conceded that the green light was given for an alternative
plan during a closed-door meeting between the commission and the
military chief on March 5.

Ambong declined to elaborate on the contingency plan in
detail.

"Well, it (the contingency plan) was not explained. I think it
could be imposing a civilian or military emergency status on the
province," Ambong said.

Separately, fellow commission member Djoko Susilo of the
Reform faction warned that the proposed contingency plan was
actually a blank check and it could be manipulated to make the
situation worse.

"It is like giving the military a blank check. Accepting a
contingency plan means also supporting a military operation,"
Djoko added.

He conceded that he was among a few legislators opposing the
proposed military operation because it would not solve the
problem.

Djoko said that the peace process in Aceh was not proceeding
optimally, but the two warring groups should sit together to
evaluate the implementation of the peace agreement.

Ambong conceded that both the House and the government had
acknowledged an absence of progress in the peace pact's
implementation during the last meeting.

"We have seen that the peace agreement has given more space
for GAM to campaign for independence," he said.

Ambong said that legislators from all factions principally
agreed that they wanted to prevent civilian casualties. Many
members of the commission suggested that the government should
not give the province a military operation status because it
would cause civilian victims.

"It is better for the military and the government to discuss
the situation with the House before making a decision to launch a
military action," Ambong said.

Indonesia, GAM and the Henry Dunand Centre were scheduled to
hold a joint council meeting on April 24 to evaluate the
implementation of the faltering four-month-old peace agreement.