Corruption and fighting overshadow Aceh peace talks

Talks aimed at ending the fighting in the Indonesian province of Aceh continued in Vantaa on Thursday. There was some tension in the air, resulting from investigations into alleged corruption by Indonesia’s main negotiator.
      Representatives of Indonesia and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) are nevertheless committed to the peace process, and discussions are continuing on the basis of the previous agenda, said Maria-Elena Cowell, spokesperson for the mediator in the talks, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari.
      Indonesia’s tough statements on the interpretation of election laws have raised suspicions that the promising discussions might fail.
      Nevertheless, Malik Mahmud, the GAM "prime minister" said that he believes that the problems can be resolved through a positive spirit of negotiation.
     
This is the fourth round of the talks, hosted by former President Ahtisaari’s Crisis Management Initiative group, aimed at finding a settlement to the conflict which has been going on since 1976.
      Ahtisaari has previously set as a goal the reaching of a peace deal in the first half of this year. It is possible that a settlement may be reached in the present round of talks, or possibly in July and August.
      Cowell noted that the agenda is a long one, and that many issues remain unresolved in the fields of security and political participation. Some concern was raised by a statement by Indonesia’s Minister of Information Sofyan Djalil, who said that GAM cannot be allowed to take part in elections as a local party.
      Under Indonesia’s current electoral law, all parties must operate on a national level. They must also have representation in at least half of the country’s provinces, and a headquarters in the capital Jakarta. These requirements are difficult for GAM, which is a small organisation operating on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra.
     
Another issue clouding the talks was the corruption investigation that was launched into the activities of the main Indonesian government negotiator, Minister of Justice Hamid Awaluddin. The case involves Awaluddin’s previous role on the electoral commission, which is suspected of accepting bribes from companies taking part in election arrangements.
      Awaluddin nevertheless still has the government’s authority to continue the Aceh talks.
      "We do not want this to affect the negotiations. We are trying to keep the outside world away, and focus on the issue itself. Based on the atmosphere of the day, I can say that we are cautiously optimistic. The parties have committed themselves to seeking a settlement regardless of all of the background noise", says Maria-Elena Cowell
      That background noise includes a clash in Aceh on Thursday, in which three GAM members and one police officer were killed just a few hours before the negotiations in Vantaa. At least 12,000 people have died in violence in Aceh since 1976.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  "Breakthrough" reported in Aceh talks as discussions move on to "very important issues" (18.4.2004)
  Aceh representatives put forward model for self-government (15.4.2005)
  Positive atmosphere reported in new round of Aceh talks in Vantaa (13.4.2005)
  Progress in Aceh talks - negotiations to continue in April (24.2.2005)
  Aceh rebels might drop demand for full independence (23.2.2005)
  Former President Ahtisaari invites Aceh negotiators back to Finland (31.1.2005)
  Preliminary Indonesian peace talks to begin in Helsinki (24.1.2005)

Links:
  Crisis Management initiative
  Indoneisian government
  Acehnet