U.S., UN call for access to Aceh

U.S., UN call for access to Aceh

U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz on Friday urged the Indonesian government to reconsider the use of military action to resolve the dispute.

"We certainly understand Indonesian concerns about preserving the integrity of the nation, but at the same time we believe very strongly that the solution to the issues in Aceh has got to be a political one," Wolfowitz told reporters at a joint news conference Indonesian Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil.

The two officials met earlier on the sidelines of the second annual Asia Security Conference in Singapore.

Wolfowitz, a former U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, also appealed to Indonesia to allow international monitors into Aceh.

"We've requested that some NGOs (non-governmental organizations) be able to go into Aceh to monitor the situation," he said. "I think it can encourage the world to believe that Indonesia is behaving and its troops are behaving."

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Thursday said he was "deeply concerned" over the impact on the civilian population of renewed hostilities in Aceh.

"In particular, he is disturbed by reports of extra-judicial killings and widespread burning of schools," his deputy spokeswoman, Hua Jiang, said.

Annan, she said, "urges all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations to protect civilians in armed conflict."

The secretary general also calls on Indonesia's government to "ensure the necessary security conditions to allow international aid organizations safe and unhindered access to affected populations."

Around 40,000 government troops and policemen are battling an estimated 5,000 rebels in the province on the tip of Sumatra island. Both sides have been accused of human rights abuses in the 27-year insurgency. -- Agencies