INDONESIA: SPECIAL U.N. HUMANITARIAN ENVOY SAYS SECURITY CONCERNS IN INDONESIA'S ACEH HAVE POSITIVE PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Record ID: 646853

  • Title: INDONESIA: SPECIAL U.N. HUMANITARIAN ENVOY SAYS SECURITY CONCERNS IN INDONESIA'S ACEH HAVE POSITIVE PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
  • Date: 14th January 2005
  • Summary: (U2) JAKARTA, INDONESIA (JANUARY 14, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. LV OF PRESS CONFERENCE 0.05 2. SLV MARGARETA WAHLSTROM, SPECIAL HUMANITARIAN ENVOY FOR UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN, INTRODUCED TO PRESS CONFERENCE 0.08 3. CLOSEUP OF UNITED NATIONS SIGN 0.12 4. MCU (English) WAHLSTROM SAYING: "On the practical implications of their wish to register the International presence, I think we only take that as a very positive thing. If you have hundreds and hunderds of NGO, both national and International, all the UN system, it is certainly both to our advantage and to theirs that we know who is there and what capacity they bring. The government has actually asked the UN to assist them with this, because they find this a very difficult task, difficult to have the overview of all actors there". 0.57 5. SV JOURNALISTS 1.00 6. MCU (English) WAHLSTROM SAYING: "We do collaborate always with the government on these issues, because governments and this is the way the international system works, are always responsible primarily for our security and safetly. So we depend on each other. For time being as you know the United Nations has worked in Aceh before and will continue to work in Aceh. And we have up till this moment, nor do I have any reporting from the NGO side that there has been any obstacle placed to anyone for their operational needs." 1.40 7. SLV OF PRESS CONFERENCE 1.42 8. MCU (English) WAHLSTROM SAYING: "Until today there is no alarm bells ringing but we cannot slacken in our efforts the threat is still there, as long as people live in groups where they haven't yet got good sanitation and good health access, that will have to be very top level attention". 2.02 9. SV JOURNALISTS 2.06 10. MCU (English) WAHLSTROM SAYING: "As you know both sides have said that in the interest of the humanitarian effort they will refrain from any offensive action. Both sides said that at an early stage, it's been repeated lately and we need to trust that both sides have good intention in this regard and help us to make sure that we can conduct the relief together for the next number of months. What happens beyond that i don't think it's possible for either one of us to speculate now but we will trust that every party stick to their word here". 2.46 11. SLV END OF PRESS CONFERENCE 2.53 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 29th January 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: JAKARTA, INDONESIA
  • Country: Indonesia
  • Reuters ID: LVA9G124WL46PBWRBR6ZHC5NVB26
  • Story Text: Special U.N. humanitarian envoy says security
    concerns in Indonesia's Aceh have positive practical
    implications.




    The United Nations' special humanitarian envoy said
    security concerns faced by relief efforts in Indonesia's
    stricken Aceh province have positive practical implications.

    "On the practical implications of their wish to
    register the international presence, I think we only take
    that as a very positive thing. If you have hundreds and
    hunderds of NGO, both national and international, all the
    UN system, it is certainly both to our advantage and to
    theirs that we know who is there and what capacity they
    bring. The government has actually asked the UN to assist
    them with this, because they find this a very
    difficult task, difficult to have the overview of all
    actors there," Margareta Wahlstrom told a news conference
    in Jakarta on Friday (January 14, 2005).

    The special hunanitarian envoy for U.N.

    secretary-general Kofi Annan also stressed the continuing
    cooperation with the Indonesian government with regards to
    the safety of foreign aid workers in Aceh.

    Indonesia wants relief workers to get permission to
    travel through many areas of Aceh and says its army has to
    accompany foreigners to the western coast of the province
    because of rebel attacks.

    "We do collaborate always with the government on these
    issues, because governments and this is the way the
    international system works, are always responsible
    primarily for our security and safetly. So we depend on
    each other. For time being as you know the United Nations
    has worked in Aceh before, and will continue to work in
    Aceh. And we have up till this moment, nor do I have any
    reporting from the NGO side that
    there has been any obstacle placed to anyone for their
    perational needs," said Wahlstrom.

    On preventing the spread of disease, Wahlstrom said the
    effort has been successful but the threat still remains
    strong.

    "Until today there is no alarm bells ringing but we
    cannot slacken in our efforts the threat is still there, as
    long as people live in groups where they haven't yet got
    good sanitation and good health access, that will have to
    be very top level attention," she said.

    Meanwhile, on the threat of clashes between the
    Indonesian military and rebels from the Free Aceh Movement
    (GAM), Wahlstrom said the United Nations welcomes the
    promise made by both sides on a ceasefire.

    "As you know both sides have said that in the interest
    of the humanitarian effort they will refrain from any
    offensive action. Both sides said that at an early stage,
    it's been repeated lately and we need to trust that both
    sides have good intention in this regard and help us to
    make sure that we can conduct the relief together for the
    next number of months. What happens beyond that i don't
    think it's possible for either one of us to speculate now
    but we will trust that every party stick to their word
    here," said Wahlstorm.

    Both Indonesia and leaders of GAM have made
    conciliatory gestures after the disaster, but have since
    accused each other of initiating several clashes,
    threatening the distribution of aid.

    Soon after the earthquake and tsunami, the government
    lifted a civil emergency in Aceh that followed a year of
    martial law aimed at crushing the GAM rebels.

    Prior to the disaster, authorities heavily restricted
    access to foreign aid groups and the media. This gave
    40,000 Indonesian troops a free hand to crush around 8,000
    Acehnese rebels in a revolt that has killed more than
    12,000 people since 1976.


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