Maluku meeting postponed until middle of February

Maluku meeting postponed until middle of February

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government-sanctioned reconciliation meeting between Maluku
Muslims and Christians that was scheduled for Feb. 5 through Feb.
7 has been postponed until the middle of the month to give more
time for the two warring factions to disseminate information
about the meeting's substance to their supporters, says a senior
government official.

"The postponement was made to make the planned meeting
effective. The two warring factions' delegates who attended the
recent preliminary meeting will have adequate time to promote the
meeting's substance to their own groups," Coordinating Minister
for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla told The Jakarta Post by
telephone from Makassar on Friday.

Kalla did not say whether the postponement was approved by the
two conflicting sides.

The two sides' delegates who attended a preliminary meeting in
Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Wednesday agreed to hold a
reconciliation meeting at the advice of the central government,
which is mediating in the conflict, in Malino, some 70 kilometers
southeast of the provincial capital.

The Makassar preliminary meeting was a follow-up of the high-
powered government officials' visit to Maluku and North Maluku
last Saturday.

The government took the initiative to mediate in the Maluku
conflict after it succeeded in its mediating in the sectarian
conflict in Poso. The peace deal between the two warring factions
in the Central Sulawesi regency was signed in Malino.

Minister Kalla said he would visit Maluku again on Feb. 5 to
assess the dissemination programs conducted by the two separate
factions.

Meanwhile, Farid Husain, a deputy to the coordinating minister
for people's welfare on health and environmental affairs, said
the reconciliation meeting would be delayed until Feb. 11, after
receiving much input and recommendations from the two sides.

"It is impossible for the two warring factions to hold a
reconciliation under a short process. They need more time to
discuss what they will bring to the planned meeting because the
conflict, which has claimed thousands of lives over the last
three years, has caused deep mental anguish and shock among
Maluku people," he said.