RI, GAM need similar vision of peace: Acehnese

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

Acehnese figures called on the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to stick to the peace accord and make use of the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC) as facilitator in order to establish long-lasting peace in the province

Humam Hamid, an influential figure in Banda Aceh, said the truce had almost broken down because of the absence of mutual trust between GAM and security authorities. He said the establishment of trust between the two sides was failing because of misinterpretation of the peace accord.

"HDC, GAM and security authorities should sit down together again to reach the same understanding of the cessation of hostilities agreement and its implementation. After that, the three sides should jointly disseminate information about the peace accord to show their commitment to establishing peace as well as to avoid confusion among Acehnese people," he told The Jakarta Post here on Monday.

The main hindrance, he said, was that both sides had disseminated information to their own camps according to their own interpretations.

"GAM has promoted independence for Aceh when disseminating information about the peace accord, while security authorities and the local administration have emphasized too much on Indonesia's unitary state. This has increased confusion among the (Acehnese) people," he said.

Humam called on the three sides to stick to the cessation of hostilities agreement step by step, article by article.

He explained that the two months after the Dec. 9, 2002 signing of the peace accord was a period for both sides to promote the agreement and to build trust between them.

"Entering the third month of the peace accord, GAM must start laying down arms, and security authorities must take a defense position instead of combative to avoid confrontation while the Joint Security Committee supervises the truce and identifies peace zones," he said, adding that demilitarization had to be completed in five months.

Nasir Djamil, a member of the provincial legislative council, concurred and said JSC and the monitoring teams should be firm in urging GAM to lay down its weapons while the military had to pull back to a defensive position and the National Police withdraw Mobile Brigade personnel.

"Demilitarization is really a crucial period and, therefore, JSC must exercise its authority to investigate all forms of violations committed by the personnel of either side and take strict measures against violators as required by the agreement," he said.

Nasir called on HDC and JSC to listen to members of civil society, who want a comprehensive solution to the Aceh issue through an all-inclusive dialog. "But it's impossible to hold talks unless both sides cease hostilities and peace returns," he said.

Both the Indonesian Military and the National Police renewed their commitment to complying with the peace accord but said GAM should also take the same position.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Wiryono Sastrohandoyo, Indonesia's chief negotiator in the Aceh issue, warned against a possible breakdown of the peace process after GAM promoted the idea of a referendum in 2004 for the territory's independence.

Many people living in remote areas remain uninformed about the peace accord's substance and remain cautious about the possibility of sporadic clashes breaking out between security personnel and GAM.

Hasnah, 29, a resident of Laweung village, in Pidie regency, some 100 km east of the city, said she was aware that GAM and the military had agreed to stop fighting but did not know how the peace accord was to be implemented.

"There are no more soldiers in our village, but we remain cautious that the situation will not last for a long time since rebels are still everywhere," she said.