JP Editorial: Aceh's New Deal [+U.S. Hopeful; SCMP: Lasting
Peace]
|
Tapol
|
Jul 19, 2005 08:32 PDT
|
also: SCMP Editorial: The people of Aceh deserve a lasting peace;
and US hopeful peace in Indonesia's Aceh province within reach
The Jakarta Post
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Editorial
Aceh's New Deal
"There will be peace." A bold statement indeed from Minister of Justice and
Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin at the conclusion of the Aceh peace negotiations
in Helsinki.
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) spokesman Bakhtiar Abdullah also expressed a degree
of confidence that the peace process would be successful.
History will inevitably decide whether Hamid, Bakhtiar and other delegates in
Helsinki will be remembered as heroic peacemakers or merely as pawns of
"darker forces" in the perpetual politicking surrounding Aceh.
This is not the first time peace seems at hand. In the past repeated promises
were made and broken. Pledges were declared and forgotten and decades of
goodwill ended in more suffering and loss.
Just over 24 months ago, the government declared martial law in the province
and began one of the biggest military offenses since the invasion of East
Timor in 1976. Now under a new regime it is offering peace under a rather
restricted political format.
Unlike in previous negotiations, there was an air of urgency and necessity to
the five rounds of talks, which began earlier in the year. The Dec. 26
tsunami, which killed about 130,000 people in Aceh, prompted negotiators to
bend and
compromise further than each side had ever been willing to do before.
And so Sunday's announcement of a draft peace agreement set to be formally
signed next month is very much a product of the fear of a second "tsunami"
-- a
wave of hunger, widespread poverty and impoverishment -- if aid and
reconstruction is delayed by the continuing political conflict between GAM and
Indonesian forces.
One way or another, GAM's willingness to drop its demands for independence,
and the perseverance of the government in continuing the talks has been
crafted
by the giant tsunami waves.
Though the circumstances that prompted the agreement were tragic, the silver
lining is that the accord is now on the verge of being signed.
Details about the agreement remain scant and will not be made public until
the formal signing next month. But the overall outline envisages amnesty for
rebels forces, disarmament of rebels and the withdrawal of soldiers from the
province.
One of the most delicate issues during the negotiation that will continue to
be a sensitive point of debate is the question of political participation and
representation for GAM.
The government initially rejected GAM's demands for a local political party.
Fortunately with some diplomacy a compromise was reached. Just exactly what
that compromise is has not been revealed because it is likely to be used as
ammunition by the peace spoilers to undermine the settlement.
Peace in Aceh should not be scuttled based on a law that erroneously
perpetuates the domination of Jakarta-based parties. Such laws can be
changed and
should not stand in the way of a peace which has been wanting for decades.
The first and last stretches of a journey are always the toughest. In the
next month there will be enemies of the process, concerned with vested
short-term
political interests rather than the welfare of Acehnese or the peace of mind
of Indonesians.
They will not immediately make themselves apparent, unless public sentiment
turns in their favor. These are people who will misuse nationalist dogma and
clothe themselves in rhetoric, glories and the lies in our history books.
It is these people that the Indonesian people, Acehnese and rebel forces
should unite to fight. They are the real enemy, the foes of peace.
Patience and forgiveness should also be readied in abundant supply for the
coming year. A period of adjustment is always necessary in any new
arrangement.
There will no doubt be misunderstandings and disputes over the implementation
of the peace agreement. We should not let the technicalities, however,
jeopardize the bigger objective of peace.
------------------------------------
South China Morning Post
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Editorial/Leader
The people of Aceh deserve a lasting peace
The formula agreed between Indonesian and separatist rebel negotiators to
end nearly 30 years of conflict in Aceh maintains the momentum for peace that
has been building since December's tsunami devastated the province.
It is a fragile agreement that leaves challenges to be overcome on both
sides.
Nonetheless, it is a triumph for common sense and good faith, in which the
rebels dropped their demand for full independence in favour of achievable
progress, and Jakarta has met them halfway - promising to withdraw its troops.
Under the pressure of the international focus on the ongoing disaster relief
effort, the negotiators in Helsinki have drawn up a blueprint built on trust,
until now missing between the two sides.
In the months ahead this will test the political skills of Indonesia's
president and the authority of exiled rebel leaders over their forces on
the ground
in Aceh.
Full details of the memorandum of agreement to be signed on August 15 have
still to emerge, but enough is known to show that although both sides have
focused on areas on which they are able to agree, some delicate
negotiations lie
ahead.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said that under the deal the rebels of
the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) will hand in their weapons in return for an
amnesty within three months of the signing, and that most of the 50,000
Indonesian
troops in the region would then withdraw. This is a significant concession
from the GAM, unmatched by progressive equivalent withdrawals by a much larger
opposing force. The credibility and powers of persuasion of the rebel leaders
may be tested to the limit before it is fully honoured.
They will be relying on Dr Susilo to make progress with Jakarta's side of the
bargain. The rebel delegation has revealed that the draft agreement allows
them to form their own political party to contest local elections in Aceh.
This
could be a key stumbling block because, as Dr Susilo's deputy Jusuf Kalla has
pointed out, this will require a change in the law that provides only for
national political parties represented in at least half the country's 33
provinces.
The change is likely to have the support of the largest bloc in parliament,
Mr Kalla's Golkar, but Dr Susilo will have a harder time winning the
support of
nationalist and military factions.
Politically, Dr Susilo has a lot riding on the success of the accord. He is
known for a mastery of consensus and he must call on every ounce of it to
ensure that the peace deal is not derailed by military leaders more
concerned with
protecting corrupt vested interests in Aceh.
One positive that has emerged from the terrible tsunami is the triumph of the
human spirit over unimaginable adversity. A truce and progress towards a
lasting political settlement would be another. The people of Aceh deserve it.
-------------------------------
AFP, July 19, 2005
US hopeful peace in Indonesia's Aceh province within reach
The United States said that a peaceful settlement to the 30-year separatist
conflict in Indonesia's Aceh province was within sight, following a deal
reached between the government and rebels.
The Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have formulated a
draft peace accord for official signing next month, it was announced after
negotiations in Finland this week.
"We understand that the two sides have initialed a draft accord. We are
hopeful that a peaceful settlement to this longstanding conflict is within
reach,"
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.
He said that the United States "supports the territorial integrity" of
Indonesia and added that "effective implementation of any written agreement
will be
key to achieving a lasting peace in Aceh."
Washington, which had previously complained of human rights abuses allegedly
committed by Indonesian troops fighting rebels in Aceh, has told Jakarta that
it was ready to help bring about permanent peace in the restive province.
Based on the Helsinki deal, the Indonesian government and GAM agreed that "no
substantive changes" will be introduced to an eight-page long initialed
memorandum before it is signed on August 15.
The agreement aims to bring a "peaceful, comprehensive and sustainable
solution" to end a conflict that has raged in the province since 1976 and cost
nearly 15,000 lives.
GAM gave up its demand for full independence and said it would disarm, while
the government has announced it will withdraw its troops from the province
once the rebels hand in their weapons.
A peace deal seemed unthinkable after Jakarta declared martial law and
launched a major military offensive in Aceh two years ago.
But renewed efforts to make peace were prompted by a need for international
aid to reach Aceh, which bore the brunt of last December's tsunami. More than
131,000 people in the province were killed.
-------------------------------
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign
111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, Croydon CR7 8HW, UK.
tel +44 (0)20 8771 2904 fax +44 (0)20 8653 0322
tap-@gn.apc.org http://tapol.gn.apc.org
|
|
 |
|
