FINLAND: Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla meets with Finnish President Tarja Halonen and Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen in Helsinki for talks centred on ongoing peace process in Aceh

Record ID: 687596

  • Title: FINLAND: Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla meets with Finnish President Tarja Halonen and Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen in Helsinki for talks centred on ongoing peace process in Aceh
  • Date: 21st January 2006
  • Summary: SNOW-COVERED STREET WITH CARS CLOSE UP OF SNOW-COVERED FLOWERS
  • Embargoed: 5th February 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Finland
  • Country: Finland
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA25NRTBT4K9PBQFQNN2B0H8643
  • Story Text: Indonesia's vice president Jusuf Kalla met Finland's Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen in Helsinki on Friday (January 20), for talks which centred on the ongoing peace process in Aceh.
    On the question of whether scheduled local elections to choose local district heads will take place in April, Kalla told a news conference that they were likely to be held in May or June.
    "We have a special law because we have a different autonomy in Aceh compared with the others and the election will be after the new laws if the new laws are passed in parliament around February or March. It means it should be really two months. And that's why tentatively not in March or April but maybe May."
    Kalla was visiting the Finnish capital almost a year after talks between government officials and exiled GAM leaders on ending a 30-year civil war that killed 15,000 people.
    Kalla arrived to a Finland covered in snow, with temperatures below -15 Celsius. Still he had only warm and grateful words when talking about the role of the country in achieving the peace agreement.
    "Thank you all for supporting here in Helsinki. I mentioned to the Prime Minister in English last year that the most popular capital mentioned is Helsinki. They don't know where but they know Helsinki as a capital making peace accord," said Kalla.
    This is the first visit to Finland by Vice President Kalla and tomorrow he will meet the former Finnish President and mediator, Martti Ahtisaari and Aceh representative Malik Mahmud at the Koningstedt Mansion, where the peace talks between Indonesia and Aceh where held last year.
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