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.