[nasional_list] [ppiindia] Rebels demand Indon troops leave Aceh

From: "Ambon" <sea@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <"Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@freelists.org>
Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2005 01:07:49 +0100

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http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Rebels-demand-Indon-troops-leave-Acehs/2005/02/21/1108834725166.html?oneclick=true

Rebels demand Indon troops leave Aceh
February 21, 2005 - 7:34PM

Separatists from tsunami-hit Aceh province will demand a full withdrawal of
the 50,000 Indonesian security forces from the region as part of a
negotiated settlement to end the long-running civil war, an Australian
member of the rebel delegation said.
The rebels also would insist that any agreement be put to a province-wide
vote, said Damien Kingsbury, an Indonesia specialist from Melbourne's Deakin
University.
He is part of the Acehnese delegation at peace talks that restarted in
Helsinki.
Kingsbury's comments were the first details of the rebels' bargaining
position as they went into talks with the Indonesian government.
The talks are expected to continue until Wednesday and focus on Jakarta's
proposal to give the region self-government within Indonesia.
Last month, representatives of the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) met face-to-face for the first time since a previous peace
process collapsed in 2003, when the Indonesian military launched a major
offensive against insurgents in the gas-rich region.
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Since the earthquake and tsunami devastated Aceh on December 26, both sides
have been under intense international pressure talk again.
After the tsunami, the rebels proclaimed a unilateral truce, saying they
wanted to help rescue efforts.
But the Indonesian military said it would continue combat operations until a
formal ceasefire was signed, and the army commander has claimed that his
troops killed nearly 200 rebels in the first two months after the disaster.
"The (troops) are part of the problem, not the solution," Kingsbury said in
a telephone interview from Helsinki.
Kingsbury also said the rebel delegation would ask for clarification about
Jakarta's special autonomy plan.
In the past, the separatists have rejected anything short of independence,
but Kingsbury indicated this position may have softened.
"GAM is now prepared to discuss reaching a negotiated settlement," he said,
referring to the rebels by their Indonesian acronym.
Kingsbury said an accord would have to include the full withdrawal of
Indonesia's notoriously brutal army and police forces, which human rights
organisations accuse of numerous atrocities in the province of 4.1 million
people on Sumatra island.
"The role of the (army) and police will have to be modified, and
functionally they will have to be replaced," Kingsbury said.
"That would have to be part of any negotiated settlement."
The rebels will also insist that any agreement be put to a province-wide
vote.
"There will have to be a vote on the popular acceptance of any deal we reach
here," he said.
"Democratic principles demand that the people of Aceh ratify any agreement."
He said this would not constitute an independence referendum, which Jakarta
opposes.
GAM will also demand that it or a separatist party representing it be
allowed to take part in future elections for a local legislature, Kingsbury
said.
This would require changing Indonesia laws, which currently bars separatist
parties.

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[nasional_list] [ppiindia] Rebels demand Indon troops leave Aceh

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