Lawmakers question arrival of EU observers in Aceh

Lawmakers question arrival of EU observers in Aceh

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

Despite growing calls from legislators not to internationalize
the conflict in Aceh, the government has said it will go ahead
with talks with Aceh rebels in Finland.

The recent arrival of international observers in Aceh only
adds insult to injury.

Lawmakers have demanded that the government stop the talks
with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) after the last round of
negotiations failed to resolve crucial issues in the decades-long
fighting in the resource-rich province.

Legislators also oppose the inclusion of foreign parties in
the talks in Helsinki, which they say is an attempt to
internationalize the problems in Aceh.

The state-sponsored think tank the National Resilience
Institute also said the "internationalization" of the Aceh talks
would give GAM the opportunity to strengthen its position in the
eyes of the international community.

During the fourth round of talks that ended in May, the
government and GAM agreed to allow representatives from the
European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) to observe the implementation of any peace
agreement that might be achieved in the latest round of talks.

"But even when the Indonesian delegates were still in Helsinki
and the President was abroad, there were already invitations to
the European Union and ASEAN to visit Aceh," a member of House of
Representatives Commission I on defense and foreign affairs,
Djoko Susilo, said on Tuesday.

He said the invitations were signed on June 5 by the secretary
to the Vice President, Asril Noer, at the order of Vice President
Jusuf Kalla, when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was on a 12-
day visit to the United States, Vietnam and Japan. The President
returned to Indonesia on June 6.

Djoko said 20 international observers arrived in Aceh on June
26.

"This is really a careless act. The fact that most legislators
did not even know about this -- I found out about it from a
source -- means the government once again bypassed the House in
making a vital move," said Djoko.

Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto
confirmed on Tuesday the arrival of foreign observers in Aceh,
adding they were in the province only to make preliminary
observations.

"We are not taking any stance on this because it is
government policy. But we ask (the foreigners) to request escorts
by TNI or police personnel while doing their jobs because we do
not want any harm to come to them," he said.

Vice President Kalla declined to answer questions on Tuesday
about whether EU observers were in Aceh and if he invited them.

Speaking after a lunch with ambassadors from EU nations, Kalla
said a monitoring system would be put into place if the
government and GAM reached a peace deal, and that the possible
shape of that system was now being discussed.

He said the Aceh issue was not discussed during the lunch with
the EU ambassadors.

Netherlands Ambassador to Indonesia Ruud Treffers, who also
holds the EU presidency here, said Aceh was not discussed during
the lunch, but stressed that the EU was ready to be involved in
resolving the separatist conflict.

Kalla said any decision on a cease-fire and the withdrawal of
military personnel from the province would be made only after a
peace deal was signed.

"If there is no longer a conflict, why would we deploy
soldiers there? They could just go home, rest or train. But until
an agreement is reached, they will not be withdrawn," he said.