The Sydney Morning Herald, February 23, 2005 - 6:09AM
Aceh rebels drop demand for independence
Aceh rebels have agreed to drop a demand for independence for the separatist
province at peace talks with the Indonesian government, a member of the rebel
delegation said.
The talks in southern Finland continued in a spirit of "good will", said Damien
Kingsbury, an Indonesia specialist from Australia's Deakin University who is part of
the Acehnese delegation.
"Dropping that demand has moved the talks forward. Everyone is quite happy with the
progress," he said.
"It looks like they are coming back for a third round and indeed, even a fourth round."
The Indonesian government and Aceh rebels continued their negotiations on
wide-ranging autonomy for the tsunami-struck region where separatists have been
fighting for independence for nearly 30 years.
The two sides, who met face-to-face last month for the first time since a previous
peace process collapsed in 2003, discussed security issues and the Indonesian
government's proposal for self-government for the oil and gas-rich province of 4.1
million people.
The Free Aceh Movement, also known as GAM, had previously demanded full
independence.
"The demand for independence is no longer on the table. They are demanding
self-government now and the Indonesians (government representatives) understand
this very clearly," Kingsbury said.
A spokeswoman for former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, who is presiding over
the negotiations at a secluded manor house outside the Finnish capital, said progress
had been made at the talks and they would continue as planned.
The rebel delegation had previously said it would seek the complete withdrawal of the
50,000 Indonesian security forces from the Aceh region and that any negotiated
settlement would have to be put to a province-wide vote.
Since fighting started in 1976, tens of thousands have died in army offensives aimed
at rooting out the guerillas, who enjoy wide support among the rural population.
The two sides first met in Finland on January 27-29 to discuss international aid and
reconstruction in the wake of the December 26 tsunami, and agreed to another round
of talks.
They were to discuss a package of proposals, including a ceasefire, security
arrangements in the rebel region and international monitoring of any solution agreed
by the parties, Ahtisaari's office said.
Ahtisaari planned to hold a news conference at the end of talks.
The head of the Indonesian delegation, Security Minister Widodo Adi Sucipto, said he
hoped both sides could reach an accord to secure "a comprehensive and fair" solution
for the region.
In the past, GAM has insisted on a UN-supervised plebiscite on self-determination.
But Jakarta fears a repetition of the 1999 independence referendum in its former
territory of East Timor, where 80 per cent of the population opted for independence,
despite a brutal military campaign to intimidate voters to choose autonomy within
Indonesia.
The war in Aceh, one of the longest-running conflicts in the world, has its roots in the
occupation of the independent Aceh sultanate by Dutch colonialists in 1870.
© 2005 AP
Copyright © 2005. The Sydney Morning Herald.
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