FINLAND: INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF THE FREE ACEH MOVEMNET ARRIVE FOR THE THIRD ROUND OF PEACE TALKS
Record ID:
647505
FINLAND: INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF THE FREE ACEH MOVEMNET ARRIVE FOR THE THIRD ROUND OF PEACE TALKS
- Title: FINLAND: INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF THE FREE ACEH MOVEMNET ARRIVE FOR THE THIRD ROUND OF PEACE TALKS
- Date: 12th April 2005
- Summary: (BN08) HELSINKI, FINLAND (APRIL 12, 2005)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV/SV OF ACEH DELEGATION SITTING TALKING IN HOTEL LOBBY (2 SHOTS) 0.10 2. SV/MCU ACEH FOREIGN MINISTER IN EXILE, ZAINI ABDULLAH READING PAPER (2 SHOTS) 0.22 3. SLV DELEGATION WALKING OUT OF HOTEL INTO CARS 0.28 4. CLOSE UP PRIME MINISTER IN EXILE MALIK MAHMOUD AND ZAINI ABDULLAH SITTING IN CAR 0.32 5. SLV CARS DRIVING AWAY 0.45 6. SLV POLICE AND MAN WALKING THROUGH GATE AT MANSION KONINGSTEDT 0.53 7. SLV POLICE CAR OUTSIDE GATE 0.58 8. SLV BLACK CAR CARRYING ACEH DELEGATION MEMBERS DRIVING THROUGH GATE 1.18 9. SV POLICE MAN 1.22 10. SLV TWO BLACK CARS CARRYING INDONESIAN DELEGATION MEMBERS DRIVING THROUGH GATE (2 SHOTS) 1.45 11. LV OF FIELD WITH MANSION KONINGSTEDT IN THE BACK 1.50 12. LV PEOPLE GETTING OUT OF CARS AT MANSION KONINGSTEDT 1.57 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 27th April 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: HELSINKI,FINLAND
- Country: Finland
- Reuters ID: LVA2SEYILCDDGS8WLR7I1ZCHBY3P
- Story Text: Indonesian government officials and representatives
of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) arrive for third round of
peace talks, facilitated by President Martti Ahtisaari and
the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) in Knigstedt
Mansion in Vantaa outside Helsin
Delegations arrived in a stately house on the
outskirts of the Finnish capital, Helsinki, on Tuesday
(April 12) for talks aimed at ending three decades of
separatist rebellion in the tsunami-ravaged Indonesian
province of Aceh.
The new round of talks that began in January is
scheduled to last until April 17. The rebels and Indonesian
government officials say that, while they are optimistic of
an eventual deal', obstacles remain.
Key among the obstacles are continued fighting, and
sensitivities over terms like "special autonomy" and "self
government".
The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) at the weekend accused the
independent Finland-based facilitator for the talks of
taking Jakarta's line on the issue of special autonomy.
The statement from the GAM military command in Aceh
said the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) had left the
rebels "shocked and dismayed" by references on its Web site
(www.cmi.fi).
Special autonomy is the phrase Jakarta uses to describe
proposals it says would grant Aceh a large degree of
freedom but retain Indonesian sovereignty.
"GAM has never agreed that the conflict will or should
be resolved within the framework of special autonomy," the
military command said in its statement received by Reuters
on Sunday.
"We want to continue these negotiations, but will not
do so if they are merely a means of forcing us to swallow
an unpalatable meal of fake autonomy and continued military
occupation," it added.
The statement asked that as an indication of goodwill
"negotiators held in the jails of Java be released", but
does not say what will happen if they are not. Government
officials could not immediately be reached for comment on
the demand.
CMI declined to comment on the statement.
GAM has been fighting a simmering rebellion against the
Indonesian government for nearly 30 years, with at least 12,000
estimat
ed to have died in the fighting, many of them
civilians.
Both sides accuse the other of gross human rights
violations.
GAM negotiators living in exile in Sweden who will
attend the Helsinki talks have, however, expressed optimism
about them.
"We are cautiously optimistic that something positive
will come out of this meeting," spokesman Bakhtiar Abdullah
said on Friday. But he said violence in Aceh had not
stopped, despite an informal agreement by both sides not to
inflame tensions.
"There still are skirmishes here and there. The
Indonesian government are bringing in more troops and
killing innocent civilians," Abdullah said.
"We have always believed that a ceasefire is the most
important aspect of these negotiations. We need to create a
conducive environment for negotiations."
During the last round of talks in February, GAM
proposed "self government" in return for dropping its fight
for Acehnese independence. Defining what that means is
expected to be a key
subject of the new round of negotiations.
Sofyan Djalil, Indonesia's information minister who is
on the negotiating team, said Jakarta would seek an
explanation in Helsinki from GAM about its proposed
self-rule concept.
Indonesia still stuck to its offer of special autonomy
as "a peaceful and dignified settlement", Sofyan Djalil
said.
Despite the verbal tug of war, since the last round the
Indonesian government and an adviser to the rebels have
both said a peace deal was possible sometime this year.
One factor that has helped bring the two sides together
was the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunami, which devastated Aceh
and left nearly 130,000 Indonesians dead and more than
500,000 homeless.
But there continue to be sporadic, bloody skirmishes
with deaths reported on both sides.
Another complication may be that GAM's political
leaders, the key players in Helsinki, are based in Sweden.
Some analysts question their control over fighters in Aceh,
a staunchly Muslim
province with a long tradition of opposing central
authority.
Full independence for Aceh would mean Indonesia would
lose a province rich in energy resources. It might also set
a precedent for other restless areas of the sprawling
archipelago.
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