---------------------------------------------------------- FREE for JOIN Indonesia Daily News Online via EMAIL: go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- ANTARA, Aug 13 1999 Aceh: Idea Of Independent Aceh Unrealistic, Intolerable, Says TNI Chief Jakarta, Aug 12 (ANTARA)-National Defence Forces Commander/Defence Minister General Wiranto Thursday categorically rejected the idea of an independent Aceh saying that it was neither realistic nor tolerable as the province was an integral part of the Indonesian republic. "Demands for an independent Aceh can not be tolerated nor negotiated. Peace (in Aceh) can only be restored if the province has been cleared of the separatist movement. Government security forces are in the province merely to enforce existing laws and not to fulfil anyone's personal wishes," he said. "Call for independence are not realistic and can not be discussed. The Aceh problem can be settled if all the parties involved thinks clearly," he said. He said the military operations conducted in Aceh when the region was a Military Operations Zone (DOM) were actually legal because they had been initiated at the request of the Aceh governor at the time. About reports that the government was considering to grant a general amnesty to Acehnese people involved in the present armed opposition to the government, Wiranto said the idea was "alright" but it should be applied to "everybody" while "all parties involved must agree to forget the negative things of the past with a view to facing more complicated future challenges," State Secretary/Justice Minister Muladi said on Tuesday the government was making preparations to give a general amnesty to figures of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) as a solution to the Aceh problem. "I proposed the amnesty. The Supreme Court and other institutions have given their approval. Now we are only waiting for the approval of the Defence Minister/National Defence Forces Chief," he told ANTARA here. But Muladi repeated several times that the government did not acknowledge GAM's existence. In accordance with this stance, it was hard for the government to consider demands that it holds talks with GAM member, the minister said. What the government could do was perhaps have a dialogue with GAM people with the latter acting on behalf of the Acehnese people. "If Hasan Tiro (the man GAM members consider as their supreme leader-Eds.) wants to take part in the dialogue and came personally or on behalf of the Acehnese people, I think that would be no problem. But if he acts on behalf of GAM, no way," Muladi said. Muladi noted that historically, what the Acehnese people had been demanding was the right to apply Islam's syariah law, giving an Islamic orientation to the educational system and observance of Islamic traditions in the province. "So these three demands must be fulfilled. It would be good if they can be fulfilled through provincial government regulations," he said, adding that to speed up the settlement of the Aceh problem, the government needed to declare a state of cilian emergency in the province. He said, in consultations the TNI had held on the matter with local administration officers and common people in Aceh, the latter proved to disapprove of the calls for the troops'withdrawal on the ground that such a measure would worsen the situation in Aceh. "Indonesian military and police forces will not be pulled out of Aceh because of we feel responsible for the local people's safety and security," Wiranto said. (T.PTU01/NN-03/18:37/INT-AJM-20:50/ri2/21:02) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 18 Aug 1999 jam 10:19:03 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
