President Gus Dur to delay Aceh visit until Dec. 19

President Gus Dur to delay Aceh visit until Dec. 19

JAKARTA (JP): The government announced on Tuesday that
President Abdurrahman Wahid's planned visit to the volatile
province of Aceh would be delayed by four days to Dec. 19.

Abdurrahman was initially scheduled to travel to the western
tip of Sumatra on his way back from Bangkok on Dec. 15.

"I told the President that it would be better if he makes a
special trip to Aceh directly from Jakarta rather than stopping
there on his way back from Bangkok," Minister of Defense Mahfud
MD said after meeting the President at Merdeka Palace.

"It (the initial schedule) would create an impression that the
President was not serious and only stopping by in Aceh. That's
why it has been agreed that the President will visit Aceh on
December 19," he added.

Presidential spokesman Wimar Witoelar said earlier that the
Aceh visit would be made on Abdurrahman's return to Jakarta from
Bangkok, where he is scheduled to receive an honorary doctorate
from the ASEAN Institute of Technology.

Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh said on Monday that during the
visit, Abdurrahman was scheduled to impose Islamic law in the
province.

The President is also scheduled to witness a ceremony to mark
the handover of government funds worth Rp 100 billion (US$10.6
million) for the Aceh economic recovery program.

The program for Aceh was announced by Jakarta two days before
the 24th anniversary of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
on Monday.

GAM has been fighting for independence in the restive province
since 1976.

Mahfud said on Monday that he could not explain the strength
of the GAM forces but "if the government is willing to take tough
measures, they (GAM members) could be easily overcome in a short
time".

The government was not intent on taking stern measures, and
solutions to the Aceh problem will still be sought through
political dialog, he said.

He added, however, that "there is a limit to dialogs and the
government has set a January 15 deadline" for it to consider a
new policy.

When pressed whether military operations would be launched to
crack down on the separatist rebels in Aceh if the government and
rebels fail to meet the deadline, Mahfud said: "Military action
will be our last resort. There are still steps that can be taken
after the deadline."

Truce

Meanwhile, a reliable source close to the Cabinet told The
Jakarta Post that the government had decided to stop the
humanitarian pause in Aceh during a Cabinet meeting on Nov. 23.
He said the government "has been frustrated" by GAM's lack of
determination to negotiate.

"In the meeting, which was also attended by military
representatives, the government requested to allow a military
operation and it should immediately be conducted," the source
said.

"If the government and GAM fail to meet for further talks by
Jan. 15, we might impose a state of civil emergency on Aceh.

"It would be increased to a state of military emergency two
days after that," he said.

He said non-governmental organization activists, students and
ulemas would be the first to be controlled before the military
would overpower GAM's office. (02)