POLITICS-INDONESIA: Aceh Rebels Ready for Peace

By Gustavo Capdevila Reprint | | Print |

Gustavo Capdevila

GENEVA, Oct 31 2002 (IPS) - Leaders of the Free Aceh Movement announced they are willing to sign an accord with the Indonesian government in the short term to bring an end the armed conflict that dates back to 1976, when rebels took up arms to fight for the autonomy of their petroleum-rich province.

The statement issued by the Free Aceh Movement, known by its Indonesian acronym GAM, indicates that "the timing is appropriate for the signing of an agreement" as the draft text has been exchanged between the two sides and there is general agreement on most points.

GAM leaders, who are based in exile in the Swedish city of Norsborg, met this week in Geneva with civil society representatives from Aceh, a province of 55,000 square km that holds abundant reserves of oil and natural gas.

The delegation from Aceh consisted mainly of neutral experts from universities and academic centres based in that region, at the northern tip of the island of Sumatra.

The group’s spokesman, Imam Suja, said the team would return to Aceh satisfied with the progress made in resolving the conflict and comforted by the clear assurance from GAM that a peaceful solution will be reached.

The GAM communiqué confirmed the armed group’s view that foundations have been set for a peace agreement, although there are some difficulties yet to overcome.

The leaders of the movement expressed their conviction that mediation from the Geneva-based Henry Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, named for the founder of the Red Cross, would help them achieve their goal.

GAM pledged to halt all armed actions, "except for self-defence purposes," during Ramadan, the month of fasting, prayer and sexual abstinence observed by Muslims, this year beginning Nov 5 and ending Dec 5.

An overwhelming 98 percent of the four million inhabitants of Aceh profess the Islamic faith. In Indonesia, the most populous Islamic country in the world, 85 percent of its population of 210 million is Muslim. The rest are distributed among Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism.

The GAM statement indicates it is likely that the signing of an agreement with the government of Indonesia would take place immediately after the celebrations that end the Ramadan period.

Civil society spokesman Suja said his delegation is "taking a message back to the people of Aceh that GAM wants to agree to a cessation of all violence."

In 26 years of armed clashes, the Aceh independence conflict has claimed more than 10,000 lives, mostly civilians. The conflict has been fuelled by resentment over human rights abuses by the military and the meagre benefits Aceh receives from the revenues Indonesia gets from the province’s oil and natural gas resources.

Earlier this year the Indonesian government sent an estimated 22,000 soldiers to Aceh, who were joined by some 8,000 paramilitary troops. The guerrilla group was believed to have around 3,000 in its ranks.

The talks this week in Geneva between the Aceh civil society delegation and GAM leaders established goals of maintaining open dialogue in the region and holding local elections in 2004.

The two sides also reaffirmed the aim of installing a democratically elected government in Aceh, said Suja.

"There may still be some hurdles to overcome, but, as both sides prepare to embark on this momentous journey, our hopes are high for what will be an historic agreement," he added.

Indonesia’s President Megawati Sukarnoputri had demanded in August that the rebels lay down weapons by December at the latest.

The government’s security chief, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyomo, warned that if GAM did not accept the conditions the authorities would step up military operations in Aceh.

But after that ultimatum came the Oct 12 terrorist attack in Bali, another Indonesian island, causing a major shift in the internal political situation, and apparently created motivation for decisiveness with regards to the Aceh conflict.

Suja acknowledged that both GAM and the government of Indonesia are going through difficult times, "but we thank them for putting the people of Aceh first."

Since the Sep 11, 2001, terror attacks in Washington and New York, the U.S. government has paid close attention to the unfolding of regional conflicts around the world, particularly those involving Muslim populations.

In this regard, retired U.S. army general Anthony Zinni has maintained contact with groups in Aceh and with the Megawati government.

Zinni also took part in the peace negotiations between GAM and the Indonesian government held in May in Geneva, sponsored by the Henry Dunant Centre.

The U.S. general’s presence as a mediator in the conflict was considered key in convincing Jakarta in August to pull back from its threats to impose military rule in Aceh.

POLITICS-INDONESIA: Aceh Rebels Ready for Peace

By Gustavo Capdevila Reprint | | Print |

Gustavo Capdevila

GENEVA, Oct 31 2002 (IPS) - Leaders of the Free Aceh Movement announced they are willing to sign an accord with the Indonesian government in the short term to bring an end the armed conflict that dates back to 1976, when rebels took up arms to fight for the autonomy of their petroleum-rich province.
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