Indonesia, GAM sign peace agreement

Indonesia, GAM sign peace agreement

JAKARTA (JP): Representatives of the Indonesian government and
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) signed a Joint Understanding on
Humanitarian Pause on Friday in Davos, Switzerland, which could
pave the way for permanent peace in the restive province of Aceh.

The accord was signed by Indonesia's permanent representative
to the United Nations in Geneva Hassan Wirajuda and GAM's health
minister Zaini Abdullah at the remote Swiss town at 1:30 p.m.
local time.

"The Joint Understanding is an early step of a hundred-step
journey in efforts to find a final solution of the Aceh
problem," Hassan said in a statement received here on Friday
evening.

While elements of the Joint Understanding all point toward a
cessation of violence, coined under the term "humanitarian
pause", top Indonesian officials are adamant that the accord
should not be construed as a cease-fire, or even in any way a
formal recognition of the rebel group GAM.

Last minute deliberations from the Indonesian side thwarted
foreign minister Alwi Shihab's plan to witnesses the ceremony.

En route to Geneva, Alwi was abruptly forbidden to attend the
signing ceremony by President Abdurrahman Wahid, who conceded
that it could be misinterpreted as a recognition of GAM.

The President said he instructed Alwi, who was in the
Netherlands at the time, not to go to Geneva, but continue his
trip to Washington to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright.

"Only after his meeting with Albright, will Pak Alwi Shihab
talk to the media about the signing of the agreement," said
Abdurrahman said here on Friday.

The President insisted that the government remained firm in
its position of not recognizing the existence of the rebel group.
He said he also accepted the reality that GAM does not recognize
the Indonesian government either.

"It (the accord) absolutely has nothing to do with the
recognition by either the government or GAM," the President said
at Merdeka Palace.

Contents

The accord was reached after three rounds of dialog,
facilitated by the Henry Dunant Center for Humanitarian Dialog in
Switzerland.

The objective "humanitarian pause", so prominently mentioned
in the accord, includes delivery of humanitarian assistance to
Acehnese affected by the conflict and the provision for security
modalities to support the relief operations and reduce tension
overall.

The accord consists of six articles, containing objectives,
components, organizational structure, time frame, transition and public
communication of the Humanitarian Pause.

To carry out the accord, two joint committees and a monitoring
team will be setup in Aceh.

The first committee, the Joint Committee on Humanitarian
Action, focuses on the effective delivery of humanitarian relief,
while the second, the Joint Committee on Security Modalities,
focuses on reducing violence.

However, this second committee could have far reaching
implications as it is aimed at impeding the movement of "third
party" disruption in the province.

President Abdurrahman Wahid has often stated that there are
"certain parties" attempting to disrupt the government's peace
efforts.

The security committee will set up ground rules for
humanitarian activities, guarantee the halt of military action
and ensure the police's function of maintaining law and order.

Each committee will comprise a maximum 10 members while the
Monitoring Team consists of five members.

A Joint Forum will be set up in Geneva as the highest decision
making body. All mechanisms will come into effect on June 2 and
will be reviewed after three months.

State Minister of Human Rights Hasballah M. Saad said here
that the makeup of the committees had not been decided, but he
insisted it would consist of people with high integrity and
credibility.

"The security committee, of course, will consist of authorized
people in the security field, maybe from the National Police and
Indonesian Military (TNI), along with GAM's security members,"
Hasballah said.

When asked about the possibilities of other armed faction
parties besides GAM leader Hassan Tiro's group, Hasballah said:
"That is what we are going to monitor, all this time we have only
known one group, GAM".

Separately, legislators of the House of Representatives
Commission II for administration and legal affairs have
conditionally expressed support for the Joint Understanding.

"It's not a problem if the memorandum is for humanitarian
purposes and a cease-fire. But it should not lead to another East
Timor case," commission chairman Amin Aryoso said referring to
the former Indonesian province.

But Amin, who represents the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), expressed regret that the House was
not consulted about the plan.

"In the future, the government should communicate such things
with the House, at least the foreign minister with the press
commission," he remarked.

Earlier, researchers from the Indonesian Institute of
Sciences' Political and Regional Affairs Center expressed their
concern at the foreign ministry's negotiations with GAM,
describing them as diplomatic misconduct.

In a statement, they said that as an authorized representative
of a sovereign government, the foreign ministry's negotiations
with GAM could create a legal precedent of negotiating with
external entities.

"This means recognition, directly or indirectly, of the
existence of GAM as an international actor and no longer part of
a domestic matter," the statement said. (prb/dja/jun)