How Aceh weathers the worst

How Aceh weathers the worst

Javier Solana
The Straits Times
Asia News Network/Singapore

Late last year, the Indonesian province of Aceh bore the brunt
of an Indian Ocean tsunami that killed nearly 150,000 people,
left half a million homeless and destroyed livelihoods and
infrastructure.

The world responded with unprecedented generosity to help with
the relief effort, but those of us who work for the European
Union did not want to leave it at that -- we wanted to see
something good come out of the disaster.

Very discreetly, talks began between the government of
Indonesia and rebel fighters of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). The
two sides had been locked in violent conflict for 30 years. After
the tsunami, everyone agreed that Aceh deserved a different
future.

With the help of former Finnish president Marti Ahtisaari, the
talks led to a landmark Memorandum of Understanding in mid-
August.

The Aceh rebel fighters agreed to give up their armed struggle
for independence and to demobilize. In exchange, the Indonesian
government offered far-reaching autonomy for Aceh and an amnesty
for the GAM fighters. The agreement also provided for the
establishment of the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM).

We in the EU wanted to give the peace agreement all the
support we could. It was a chance to demonstrate, in a tangible
way, that the EU was committed to promoting global peace,
security and justice.

We were also convinced this mission would have greater success
if carried out in close cooperation with our Asian partners. Five
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members -- Brunei,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand -- agreed to
take part.

Since a previous agreement between the government and the
rebels had foundered on the question of implementation, everyone
knew that the presence of an objective team of monitors would be
critical. So, at the invitation of the Indonesian government, and
with the full support of the rebel fighters, the EU and the five
ASEAN countries formed the AMM.

This fruitful regional cooperation has already proved a
success and might be a model for future crisis-management
operations.

It is not very often that we can say that a peace agreement is
being implemented ahead of schedule, and yet that is precisely
what is happening in Aceh today.

Since mid-September, in what have been emotional scenes, rebel
fighters have been handing in a quarter of their declared weapons
to international monitors.

At the same time, about 1,300 Indonesian police and 6,500
troops have been withdrawn from the province. Where violence and
distrust reigned, politics and hope are returning. It is exactly
what the people of Aceh and the rest of Indonesia want and
deserve.

I am delighted that the EU, together with its ASEAN partners,
is playing an important supporting role in all this. The AMM
oversees the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding
that guides the peace process.

In particular, it supervises and assists with the
demobilization of GAM fighters and the decommissioning and
destruction of its weapons; and it monitors the relocation of
Indonesian army and police troops and the re-integration into
society of GAM members. The AMM also monitors and assists in the
field of human rights

This is a unique operation in many respects: It is the first
EU operation in Asia and the first time the union has worked this
way with ASEAN nations. From the topmost level to that of field
inspections, this really is a joint EU-ASEAN effort.

The mission effectively combines the ASEAN knowledge about the
region, religion and culture with the EU's experience of crisis-
management operations.

It is worth stressing that this combined EU-ASEAN format was
the only formula that was acceptable to both parties. Moreover,
no international mission has ever been deployed more quickly. It
proves that when everyone is focused, innovative forms of
international partnership can achieve impressive results.

The first phase of decommissioning and demobilization has gone
smoother, and faster, than many expected. The second phase is
taking place as we speak and two more phases are planned for next
month and December.

It is vital to keep up this good momentum and advance with the
wider political process so that peace in Aceh can be entrenched.
To do so, both parties must abide by their commitments. But we
are ready to play a facilitating role. Twice a week, the head of
the Aceh mission, Pieter Feith, meets a top GAM official and an
Indonesian government minister to iron out differences and take
the peace process forward.

I am pleased that the EU has taken up this challenge. The Aceh
mission gives substance to our oft-stated aim of being a
strategic partner for Asia and a steadfast promoter of peace.

It also shows the great potential of regional cooperation. The
situation in Aceh suggests that humanity is resilient and that,
even after a real catastrophe, a society can come together and
forge a more hopeful future.

The writer is the European Union High Representative for the
Common Foreign and Security Policy.