TNI sets conditions for cease-fire with GAM

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Military (TNI) has set conditions for a temporary cease-fire in troubled Aceh to allow Free Aceh Movement (GAM) leaders to free all civilian hostages, including journalist Ferry Santoro.

TNI commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said on Monday that he would order a two-day cease-fire provided GAM promised not to take anymore civilian hostages in the future.

"Should they promise and guarantee that they will never take any civilian hostages again, then we will grant a two-day cease- fire," Endriartono said before attending a limited Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace.

GAM, which is currently holding dozens of civilians as hostages, has demanded a cease-fire to allow the hostages to be released.

Endriartono said more pressure should be put on the rebels as the TNI could not afford to grant a cease-fire every time GAM wanted to release hostages.

"Should they not provide any guarantees then they will refrain from using civilian hostages so as to reduce the pressure the military is putting on them, I will not comply with their demand," the four-star Army general said.

Aceh has been put under martial law since May 19 of last year, when the so-called integrated operation was launched to crack down on GAM rebels, who have been fighting for independence for the resource-rich province since 1976. Over 10,000 people, mostly innocent civilians, have been killed since then.

Both the TNI and GAM have been engaged in tough negotiations to release around 50 civilian hostages, including Ferry Santoro, an RCTI TV cameraman.

Ferry, who was captured with reporter Ersa Siregar, later shot by the TNI, and several civilians were captured by GAM last June in the eastern part of the province.

Efforts to release Ferry have intensified after Ersa was found death late last year following an ambush by TNI troops on a group of rebels.

The government and TNI have come under international and domestic pressure to ensure the safe release of the cameraman and the rest of the civilian hostages.

The government has appointed the International Committee of the Red Cross to facilitate the hostages' release.

However, the negotiations seem to have reached a dead end as the TNI has been persistently refusing to grant GAM's demand for a two-day cease-fire to facilitate the release of the hostages.

On Monday, Endriartono asserted that GAM had no right to set conditions for the release of the hostages.

He contended that should GAM really want to release the hostages, they could do it at anytime they wanted, with no preconditions attached.

"Should we grant that demand without any guarantees, it will set a bad precedent so that each time they need to consolidate they will take more civilian hostages," he remarked.

Endriartono further said that the TNI would leave the negotiations with the rebels to the ICRC and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI).

"They are negotiating. We will wait and see what happens," he added.