ABC AUSTRALIA, 23/04/2003 22:49:02
Aceh peace pact under threat
The Indonesian government has threatened to pull out of a peace pact with Aceh
separatist rebels if talks in Geneva this weekend fail to settle disputes and conditions
in the war-torn province worsen.
Top security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says the government will decide 30
days after the meeting whether to scrap the pact with the Free Aceh Movement and
take other options.
He has reiterated that Jakarta would not tolerate separatism anywhere in the country.
Mr Yudhoyono says if a solution is found in the meeting and conditions in Aceh
improve, the peace process could continue.
However, he says if conditions continue to worsen after 30 days the government can
unilaterally say it is no longer bound by the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.
He says the other option would not necessarily be a military operation, but declined to
elaborate.
More than 50 killings have been reported in the province in the past three weeks.
23/04/2003 22:49:02 | ABC Radio Australia News
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