Peace in Aceh at last?

It is part of the tragedy that is Aceh that even at a time when a glimmer of hope appears to be in sight, the promise of peace must be greeted with caution.

Representatives of the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) were reported on Wednesday to have reached an agreement to hold a month-long moratorium on violence in the northernmost Indonesian province.

The provisional agreement, which was reached in Switzerland on Thursday night after four days of intensive negotiations, stipulates among other things that during the month-long truce, both sides agree to substantially revise the security arrangements of the humanitarian pause to make them more effective.

Jakarta has stated it will not extend the humanitarian pause, which is in essence a truce between the Indonesian government and GAM which was signed by both sides earlier in May last year. The pause expires on Monday.

The statement, which was issued by Minister of Defense Mahfud MD in Jakarta recently, has been viewed by some observers in Indonesia as a sign of a hardening of the government's stance on the issue and has raised fears of more bloodshed in the strife- torn province.

Jakarta, it must be noted, remains adamant that whatever the solution for Aceh may be, it must be in the framework of Aceh remaining a part of the unitary Republic of Indonesia.

Thus, whatever its shortcomings, the provisional agreement that was signed in Switzerland on Tuesday night is widely seen as a step toward a peaceful solution of the decades-long Aceh conflict.

After all, even though the humanitarian pause itself was not extended, the moratorium provides sufficient leeway for negotiators on both sides to resume talks.

According to the statement, both parties intend to meet in February 2001 in exploratory talks, "to discuss and agree upon new security arrangements as well as the process for continued political dialog".

The statement further said the two parties succeeded in making "significant progress" and developed a detailed agenda for future talks, including "substantive elements relating to security arrangements, democratic consultation, humanitarian law and human rights, and social-economic development."

Abdullah Zaini, GAM's chief representative in the talks, described the moratorium as an attempt to open political negotiations, saying that "we have agreed, both sides, to extend this humanitarian pause, in a way, to launch exploratory talks for political issues."

In Jakarta, minister Mahfud said the statement says that GAM will "transform its activities from a physical to a political struggle".

Mahfud, however, warned that if the separatists do anything that is against the accord, "then we will break the agreement".

Thus it seems that as far as Jakarta is concerned, little has changed. Whatever may come, Aceh must remain a part of Indonesia. A free and independent Aceh is out of the question.

The big question is whether the independence movement in Aceh -- not necessarily all members of GAM -- are willing to reduce their demands to accommodate Jakarta's wishes.

Too many lives have already been lost and too many Acehnese have suffered from the decades of violence that has been the lot of Aceh.

It may of course be that the Acehnese will prove themselves to be capable and willing to exert the necessary restraint to adjust their demands to the political realities present.

In that case, it will be up to Jakarta to reestablish the climate of goodwill toward Jakarta that once upon a time existed among the Acehnese.

In the beginning, as experts tell us, the conflict was not about independence but about plain and simple justice, both on the economic and political plains.

For the moment, let us just hope that both Jakarta and GAM will prove themselves capable this time to suit the action to the words and put an end to the violence which has caused so much suffering among the people for so long.