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Aceh rebels ready for
peace
By Gustavo Capdevila
GENEVA - Leaders of the Free Aceh Movement
announced they are willing to sign a peace accord with
the Indonesian government in the short term to bring an
end to 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 kilometers that holds
abundant reserves of oil and natural gas.
The
delegation from Aceh consisted mainly of neutral experts
from universities and academic centers 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 communique 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 Center 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-defense purposes", during Ramadan, the
month of fasting, prayer and sexual abstinence observed
by Muslims, this year beginning on Tuesday, November 5,
and ending on December 5. An overwhelming 98 percent of
the 4 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 fueled by
resentment over human-rights abuses by the military and
the meager benefits Aceh receives from the revenues
Indonesia gets from the province's oil and natural-gas
resources. 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 about 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.
Indonesian 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 October 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 September 11, 2001, terror
attacks near Washington, DC, and in New York, the US
government has paid close attention to the unfolding of
regional conflicts around the world, particularly those
involving Muslim populations. In this regard, retired US
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 Center.
The US
general's presence as a mediator in the conflict was
considered key in persuading Jakarta in August to pull
back from its threats to impose military rule in Aceh.
(Inter Press Service)
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