Monitoring team called to ensure cease-fire in Aceh
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Banda Aceh
An independent committee is necessary to prevent the forthcoming agreement for the cessation of hostilities between Jakarta and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) from turning into a failure.
Learning from previous experience, when both sides failed to maintain a truce agreed in several peace talks since 1999, the independent commission would serve as an institution that oversaw how the cease-fire was upheld.
"What we need are individuals, respected by both sides, to check whether both sides have stopped their hostile acts," Rizal Sukma of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
He suggested that the monitoring committee be given the authority to investigate any violence that erupted after the agreement.
"The members should have a credible international reputation, regardless of whether they are Indonesian nationals or foreigners," Rizal added.
After months of uncertainty, the government and GAM sent out a strong signal to engage in another round of dialog, prompting new hopes for peace in restive Aceh.
TNI and GAM expressed their support for the cessation of hostilities and hoped to find a measure to deal with GAM splinter groups, said to be behind a series of criminal acts in the province.
Rizal said the monitoring committee could serve as a neutral institution, which decided who was responsible for violence, and all sides should accept its investigation reports.
The government reviewed its dialog policy in July and demanded GAM accept the special autonomy law before it engaged in any more peace talks.
GAM underlined its readiness to return to the negotiating table because it understood people's needs for safety and peace, and had nothing to do with the special autonomy law.
Clarifying his Wednesday statement, GAM spokesman Teuku Kamaruzaman said his organization was ready to give its views on the special autonomy law, while revising the law was not in the authority of GAM.
Dialog facilitator Henry Dunant Center (HDC) confirmed that the dialog would likely commence at the end of October, as several technical details needed to be further discussed.
An official from the center told the Post that they had been planning the dialog and aiming to achieve agreement on the cessation of hostilities.
Such cease-fire efforts were tried in early 2000 under the aegis of a humanitarian pause. However, the mechanism failed as the government accused GAM of violating the deal and using the time to consolidate its troops across the province.
In Banda Aceh, Kamaruzzaman said that his side was considering an effective mechanism for the cessation of hostilities to ensure civilian safety.
"We are trying to formulate a mechanism to ensure the effectiveness of a cease-fire to end the conflict and guarantee the safety of the people in their day-to-day lives," Kamaruzzaman said.
He refused to go into details, saying that they would be the substance of the upcoming talks, but underlined that there should be sanctions for those who violated the agreement.
"But the sanctions should not come from Indonesian law, because GAM acknowledges a different set of regulations," he remarked.
Another GAM leader, Teuku Agam, also supported the idea of establishing a strong monitoring committee to ensure both sides complied with the agreement.
He suggested that both GAM and TNI soldiers be confined to barracks during the cease-fire and refrain from carrying out any military operation, including espionage.