Indonesia may halt future peace talks with GAM
Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia is likely to halt future peace talks with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) should the secessionist movement persist with its agenda of seceding from Indonesia.
While acknowledging that the Indonesia-GAM conflict was a complex issue due to the basic difference in political stances thus making it difficult to resolve the matter quickly, the Indonesian government would review the outcome of the current negotiations if there was any move from GAM in the direction of the government's proposals.
"We'll see if there's any seriousness on GAM's part. If not, then I would have to agree with the idea of stopping (further negotiations)," Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda told reporters after meeting President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Friday at the State Palace.
The Free Aceh Movement, even while it continued to demand independence, agreed at the previous talks in February to use the special autonomy status granted to Aceh as the basis for future negotiations.
Meanwhile, the government will only agree to a solution which comes within the framework of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia.
Hassan also said that last year GAM had agreed to the government's proposal for an all inclusive dialogue, comprising elements of the Acehnese people and GAM, as part of the effort to seek peace in the resource-rich province.
"GAM agreed (last year), but the implementation is yet to take place in Banda Aceh especially ... in this process, the negotiations in Switzerland will only be held occasionally to review the domestic talks," he explained, while adding that GAM was still considered to be a secessionist movement, although the peace negotiations were being handled by the Department of Foreign Affairs along with the Ministry of Political and Security Affairs instead of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
On Thursday, Indonesia and GAM resume their peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, which will take place over two days.
Previously, both Hassan and the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that GAM would not gain international support should they continue to push for an independent state.
Despite the long-running talks between Indonesia and GAM, various human rights abuses are still reportedly talking place in Aceh, giving rise to greater distrust among the Acehnese people of the security apparatus there.
More than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, have died since the low-level guerrilla campaign to turn the province into an independent state began in 1976, with more than 400 having died so far this year alone.
In February, Susilo also expressed the government's reluctance to proceed with negotiations, saying that the government might give up on seeking a solution through dialogue should GAM continue to reject the special autonomy package and aspire to separate from Indonesia.