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Government warns GAM about effect of truce violation
National News - September 04, 2000
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian government warned on Sunday that it would
suspend the newly extended humanitarian pause in Aceh if it found the
separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) violating the accord during the
one- month probation period.
Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab told journalists here on Sunday that the
government will evaluate the monitoring team's monthly report to see
if GAM adheres to the ground rules of the accord.
"In a month's time we will conduct an assessment to see whether all of
the requirements we demanded from GAM have been met," Alwi said.
"If within that time they have not been fulfilled we can always break
the truce," Alwi warned.
Alwi charged that during the three-months of the accord's
implementation GAM had committed many violations by continuing to
intimidate local administration officers and even hampering the
distribution of humanitarian aid to the people.
"They have admitted these mistakes and now they just have to accept
our requirements. We will wait for the report from the monitoring
team," he added.
On Saturday, President Abdurrahman Wahid agreed to temporarily extend
the pause pending further negotiations with GAM.
A joint press statement available here on Sunday said both sides will
hold further talks in the middle of September in Geneva, Switzerland,
to discuss requirements for formally extending the pause in the
restive province.
"The requirements from both sides for phase two will be discussed in
detail at a joint forum meeting scheduled for mid-September in
Switzerland," the brief statement said.
The two sides signed the three-month humanitarian pause in Geneva on
May 12. It officially took effect on June 2.
Prior to extending the accord, which expired on Saturday, the
government said it was only willing to do so if GAM was ready to start
talking about a political solution for the province.
"We should start to see what we can agree on for the status of Aceh.
For Jakarta, Aceh is an integral part of Indonesia. We are open to
suggestions and we are going to offer special autonomy for them," Alwi
said.
He stressed that the Indonesian government will not tolerate any talk
about the status of the province outside the context of a unitary
state of Indonesia.
Meanwhile, GAM's commander in Aceh Besar Abu Tazurra welcomed the
extension of the humanitarian pause and hoped it would pave the way
for a clear political solution to the Aceh issue.
"We need to extend the pause not only in terms of the period but also
in substance in an effort to reach a political resolution," Abu
Tazurra said on Sunday from Banda Aceh.
But it is unclear whether GAM negotiators are willing to enter
discussion on any other alternatives than a separation from Indonesia,
which has been the main call to arms of the separatist group.
As talks continued, Aceh was again beset by more tragedy as two
19-year- old girls were abducted on Saturday.
Sri Astuti and Yuyun Eka Susanti, both residents of Padang Tiji in
Pidie, were last seen visiting a police subprecinct in the Batee area
with two of their friends before being abducted on their way home
while riding a motorbike.
The two other girls who escaped the kidnapping, Marlina and Arimah,
said two gunmen intercepted them about one kilometer from the police
subprecinct.
Sri Astuti is a daughter of a policeman, Pidie Police chief Supt.
Endang Emiqail Bagus said.
"The four girls were riding on two motorbikes when the incident took
place at around 4 p.m. The last two girls managed to flee and report
it to us but by the time we got there it was already too late. Sri and
Yuyun were already missing," he explained.
"We plead for the abductors to return the girls soon. If they're not
back by Monday, we'll deploy a massive amount of troops to search for
them," Endang appealed while adding that "this was probably initiated
by GAM".(dja/50/51/edt)