'Wise Men' made Aceh peace possible
'Wise Men' made Aceh peace possible
Slobodan Lekic, Associated Press, Geneva
When faced with the intransigence of the warring sides in Aceh, a conflict that has spanned 132 years, negotiators of the Henri Dunant Center looked for a novel approach to the peacemaking process.
Their solution was to create a "fourth entity" in the talks, separate from the Indonesian government, the separatist rebels and the mediators themselves. A committee of "Wise Men" consisting of a retired U.S. general and the former foreign ministers of Thailand and Yugoslavia, was set up to consult with all the sides in the talks.
The choice by the Geneva-based non-governmental group proved to be a fortunate one. On Monday, less than a year after the three were first engaged in negotiations, the warring sides concluded a landmark peace accord to end hostilities and grant wide-ranging autonomy to the province of 4.1 million people on the tip of Sumatra island.
"We are especially grateful to the group of Wise Men for their wisdom and role in making today's agreement possible," said Martin Griffiths, the Center's director.
Anthony Zinni, 59, a former four-star Marine Corps general and President George W. Bush's envoy to the Middle East, said he was first approached last year by the State Department to participate in the diplomatic effort. "W hen the concept of a special group of elders to advise either party was created, I at first wondered how effective this could be," Zinni told The Associated Press. "It turned out to be a very interesting and successful concept that may be applicable elsewhere."
Many analysts say the talks were energized in August when Zinni toured Aceh and urged both sides to be prepared to make concessions if they wanted a peace agreement. The burley, no- nonsense general found that because of his military background he could easily relate to hardline commanders on both warring sides. In contrast, Budimir Loncar, who joined Zinni at Monday's signing ceremony in the Henri Dunant Center's elegant villa on the banks of Lake Geneva, brought to the talks a diplomatic engagement with Indonesia dating back to the 1960s.
Loncar, 75, was Yugoslav ambassador to the administration of President Sukarno, the father of Indonesia's current head-of- state Megawati Soekarnoputri.
He later was ambassador to Germany and the United States, and in 1987 became foreign minister of Yugoslavia. But he left the country in 1991, when the federation disintegrated amid bloody ethnic warfare.
Loncar was sent to Jakarta by the United Nations as a special representative to the Nonaligned Movement, which Indonesia was then chairing.
He praised the accord as the first step in ending a conflict that has been going on since 1870, when Dutch colonialists occupied the staunchly independent sultanate.
"This solution will also be an impulse for wider changes in Indonesia, transforming it from a unitary state to one where the regions enjoy significant autonomy, and thus encouraging further democratization and reforms," Loncar said.
The last member of the diplomatic troika, former Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan, is credited with much of the preparatory work.
Surin, 53, a Muslim from southern Thailand, gained the trust of all parties in Aceh, a staunchly Islamic province located across the Malacca Straits. The eldest of 11 children born to poor religion teachers, Surin has earned diplomatic and academic distinction for his grip on the Islamic and Middle Eastern issues.
Surin was unable to attend Monday's signing ceremony, but the Henri Dunant Center said it is counting on his continued support for the peace monitoring mission.
Surin entered politics in 1986 and served as foreign minister under Premier Chuan Leekpai from November 1997 to February 2001.