U.S., donors call on RI to pursue peace in Aceh

U.S., donors call on RI to pursue peace in Aceh

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

United States President George W. Bush welcomed on Thursday a
decision by the Indonesian government and Aceh separatist rebels
to hold weekend talks in Tokyo in a last-ditch effort to save
their peace pact.

"The United States strongly supports efforts to pursue a
negotiated peace in Aceh within the framework of a unified
Indonesia," Bush said in a statement released by the White House.

"I commend (Indonesian) President Megawati (Soekarnoputri) for
demonstrating her government's commitment to the Aceh peace
process and for her willingness to go the extra mile in pursuit
of peace."

The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) said their exiled top leader,
Hasan Tiro, would leave Sweden for Tokyo to monitor the talks but
would not attend the meeting, AFP reported.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri delayed on Thursday the
imposition of martial law in Aceh, which would allow the military
to launch an operation to crack down on the rebels, to give GAM
another chance to return to the negotiating table in Tokyo.

The government had set a May 12 deadline for the rebels to
resume talks under the preconditions of their acceptance of the
unitary state of Indonesia and disarmament. GAM said it would
accept dialog only after the deadline passed.

Indonesian officials said preparations for a military
operation in the natural resource-rich province, which would
involve between 40,000 and 50,000 troops, would continue. It
would be the largest deployment of troops ever in Indonesia's
history.

"I call on the leadership of GAM to renew its commitment to a
peaceful solution in Aceh and for both sides to pursue good faith
implementation of the December 2002 Cessation of Hostilities
Agreement," Bush said, referring to the peace agreement signed by
Jakarta and GAM on Dec. 9 last year in Geneva.

International donors grouped in the Tokyo Preparatory
Conference on Peace and Reconstruction in Aceh have kept up the
pressure on both Indonesia and GAM to avert a breakdown of the
peace process in the province.

The group, comprising the European Union, Japan, the U.S. and
the World Bank, called for the continuing commitment of Jakarta
to solve the question of Aceh through dialog.

"We call on the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh
Movement to make every possible effort to revive dialog and
restore peace. To that end, we call on the two sides to hold a
Joint Council meeting, as provided under the terms of the
Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, or an informal session to
prepare for a Joint Council meeting, in Tokyo as soon as
possible," the donors said in a statement on Wednesday.

The donors hope the two sides at the meeting reach a consensus
to revive the agreement and return Aceh to a state of peace based
on special autonomy.

The donors added that they remain willing to continue to
support the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement and to provide
assistance for the future reconstruction of Aceh if peace
prevails.