TNI gives GAM ultimatum to sign peace accord

TNI gives GAM ultimatum to sign peace accord

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Banda Aceh

Using a stick or carrot tactic, the Indonesian Military (TNI)
renewed its threat against Free Aceh Movement (GAM), that the
rebels would face the most severe consequences should they fail
to meet a Dec. 9 deadline to sign a peace accord.

TNI Chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto pointed out on Thursday
that the rebels, who still want to hash out some details before
signing the accord, "had no choice" but to go to Geneva to sign
the Henry Dunant Centre-facilitated peace agreement with the
government originally planned for Dec. 9.

"There is no need to engage in 'Plan B' if GAM shows good
faith to sign the peace deal with the government," the general
said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan
Wirayuda said that Plan B was to conduct a massive military
crackdown on the separatist movement in Aceh, should the peace
deal, Plan A, fail to materialize.

TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, however, insisted
that the military would not cease its military operations in Aceh
regardless of the results of the peace negotiation between the
government and the Aceh rebels.

"Even though the government and the GAM representatives might
sign a peace agreement on Dec. 9, it does not mean that we, the
TNI, will stop our operations there. A clear possibility is that
we may change our approach from an offensive to defensive
approach," Sjafrie said in a media briefing.

In Banda Aceh, the spokesman for the GAM negotiation team,
Teuku Kamaruzzaman, said his party only agreed to go to Geneva to
resume its negotiation with the Indonesian government, and not to
sign an agreement.

"We will not directly sign an agreement there as said by many
parties," Kamaruzzaman told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Separately, Japanese Ambassador for Indonesia Yutaka Iimura
disclosed that on Dec. 3, his country, along with the United
States and the World Bank would co-sponsor the "Preparatory
Conference on Peace and Reconstruction in Aceh", in Tokyo. Its
purpose will be to encourage the peace process in Aceh and to
discuss what the international community can contribute for the
rebuilding and reconstruction of Aceh, said the ambassador.

The one-day forum will be attended by Indonesian government
representatives, the representatives of Acehnese civil society,
"like-minded countries" and international organizations. The
ambassador, however, still could not say whether GAM had agreed
to come to Tokyo.

"It should be good timing for us to show international support
to a peaceful solution of the Aceh problem ...to discuss, in a
very preliminary the way, how we can contribute to the
rehabilitation and reconstruction of Aceh," the ambassador told
the Post.

He expressed his hope that the conference would be held as
scheduled despite the uncertain peace prospects in the rebellious
province.