RI, GAM to hold talks in Finland

RI, GAM to hold talks in Finland

Agencies, Helsinki/Jakarta

Indonesia and separatist rebels from tsunami-hit Aceh province will hold talks in Helsinki next week, mediated by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, his office said on Sunday.

The talks between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) will be in Helsinki towards the end of next week, Ahtisaari's Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) group said.

"Because of the sensitivity of the meeting and in order to create a conducive atmosphere, President Ahtisaari and CMI will not comment on the details of the meeting at this stage," the statement on the CMI Web site said.

Ahtisaari is the chairman of the CMI, a non-governmental agency which works to prevent and manage conflicts.

The threat of violence in Aceh, where most of Indonesia's more than 173,000 tsunami victims died, has raised concern among aid agencies involved in relief efforts in the region, which is also the scene of a bloody, three-decade long insurgency.

In the aftermath of the Dec. 26 tsunami, both sides pledged to stop fighting. But the informal truce appears to have been ignored. The Indonesian Military announced on Sunday that it had killed more than 200 alleged rebels in the last four weeks.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said earlier last week that the disaster in Aceh should open an opportunity to end the conflict, noting that "it's quite realistic that by the end of this month both sides can sit down together for a meeting."

Referring to the CMI report, Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said: "I can neither confirm nor deny those reports."

Bakhtiar Abdullah, a spokesman for the rebel group's exiled leadership in Sweden, also said he had no information on any contacts between the two sides.

Abdullah, however, said his side was eager but only if the terms were acceptable.

"We have always said we're not going to close our door for dialogue but it has to be sustainable and agreeable for both parties. It takes two to tango."

Meanwhile, Indonesian Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab, who is overseeing relief operations in Aceh, said on Saturday the government would consider anything except sovereignty for Aceh during upcoming peace talks.

"We will entertain any demand short of independence," he said.