In the aftermath of the tsunami disaster that made Aceh the hardest hit area in the region, the situation served as a catalyst to renew peace talks between the government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh movement, GAM. The resumption of talks between the two parties after negotiations collapsed following the declaration of martial law in the province in May 2003 is a positive development in the search for a just and lasting solution to the conflict.

In the aftermath of the tsunami disaster that made Aceh the hardest hit area in the region, the situation served as a catalyst to renew peace talks between the government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh movement, GAM. The resumption of talks between the two parties after negotiations collapsed following the declaration of martial law in the province in May 2003 is a positive development in the search for a just and lasting solution to the conflict.

It is disheartening to note however that the recently held talks between the Republic of Indonesia (RI) and GAM in the Finnish capital, Helsinki ended inconclusively due to very hard positions taken by the Indonesian government that rejected Acehnese rebels offer to shelve independence claims in exchange for an eventual referendum on self-determination of the Acehnese people. Jakarta is very firm about its offer of a wide-ranging autonomy which the separatists rebels objected to on several occasions.

The international solidarity movement is alarmed by this seeming trend of intransigence of both parties that does not seem to allow any room for flexibility and accommodation. Both parties seemed to have lost sight of the fact that the people need respite from war and trauma and should be allowed to recover and rehabilitate peacefully from the worst disaster that has hit them.

The urgent call of the international community is for an effective ceasefire to immediately take place and an honest-to-goodness humanitarian relief and rehabilitation work be implemented. Indonesia should allow international aid agencies unhampered operations and allow civilian instead of military personnel in the delivery of relief aid. GAM on the other hand should take advantage of the goodwill at the moment given the international concern over the tsunami victims and enter into a ceasefire agreement with the view of resuming formal talks to explore options, that will finally result to a just and principled solution to the Aceh conflict.

It is also hoped that the next round of talks between the two parties tentatively set on February 21, 2005 will push through to signal the willingness of both the government of Indonesia and the separatist rebels to end their dispute and manifest their genuine concern for the Acehnese people who have been suffering from both human-made and natural disasters in recent history.

We urge the international community to continue to support the Aceh peace process and exert all efforts at convincing both negotiating parties on the value of pursuing the path to peace.

Asia-Pacific Solidarity Coalition