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TITLE: Fresh Aceh Peace Talks to Begin Thursday in Switzerland |
AUTHOR: |
PUB: AFP |
DATE: February 15, 2001 |
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Indonesian government representatives and separatist Aceh rebels are due to begin a new round of peace talks in Switzerland on Thursday, which could herald an extension of a ceasefire, a rebel spokesman said on Wednesday. Abdullah Bakthiar, European spokesman for the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), said the group hoped the planned two-day meeting would lead to an extension of the ceasefire, agreed last month and due to expire on Thursday. He said commanders in Aceh had already agreed last Saturday to a 10- day extension but violence had continued. Police and residents reported Wednesday that three people had been found dead and another six wounded. "On Saturday, our representative for the commanders in the field have concluded a truce with their Indonesian counterparts" Bakthiar told AFP by telephone from Stockholm where the movement is in exile. The 10-day extension, in accordance with a month-long "moratorium on violence" agreed by the two sides at the last round of talks in Switzerland in January, was "in the hope that we could prevent violence on the field," he said. "But it seems that things are not working that way but we still hope that it will succeed," he added. The talks, to be held as is customary at an undisclosed location and behind closed doors, will be the fifth round in which the Geneva-based Henri Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue has provided its good offices. "As far as political agreement is concerned we have not come to that yet," Bakthiar said, adding: "We are still working on security issues and the human rights issues in the field." Without going into details, he said the agenda for the talks Thursday and Friday would be provisionally based on security topics and humanitarian law which he said would be discussed "deeply and conclusively." The GAM wants complete independence for the oil- and gas-rich province on the northern tip of Sumatra island. It has been fighting to set up an independent Muslim state there since the mid-1970s. Jakarta has ruled out independence for Aceh but pledged broad autonomy. Indonesian Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab has hinted at an extension of the current ceasefire, claiming there has been "progress and a decrease in violence." Last year more than 1,000 people were killed, and more than 150 have died this year. END |