---------------------------------------------------------- FREE Subscribe/UNsubscribe Indonesia Daily News Online 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 -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 Free Email @KotakPos.com visit: http://my.kotakpos.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------- ANTARA, FEBRUARY 10, 2000 GUS DUR OPTIMISTIC ACEH PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED GRADUALLY New Delhi, Feb 09 <ANTARA>-President Abdurrahman Wahid said here Wednesday he was optimistic his government would be able to gradually solve tha Aceh problem. "I am optimistic that the Aceh problem can solved gradually," Wahid, also known Gus Dur, said at a meeting with members of the Indonesian community in India. He was commenting on the hope expressed by an Indonesian citizen that the government would solve the Aceh problem soon. Gus Dur, who was accompanied by Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab and Forestry and Agriculture Minister Nurmahmudi Ismail, reiterated a statement he had made on previous occasions that the problems in Aceh should be solved by the Acehnese themselves. He said the Aceh question was rather complicated because different groups of people claiming to represent all Acehnese had made divergent statements. "All of them feel that they represent the Aceh people but in their statements they often contradict each other," Gus Dur said. Development programs Touching on development planning for Aceh, Gus Dur said that the development programs drawn up by previous governments did not meet the Aceh people's real needs. "None of the programs is suitable for them," he said. To correct the wrong programs, the president said, an Acehnese figure, Rusli Bintang, had designed a new development plan under which Rp48 billion (US$7 million) would be spent to build new roads, railways and seaport. On the security situation in Aceh, Wahid said it was improving, especially after National Police chief Lt Gen Roesdihardjo had made a peace agreement with Acehnese leaders. "There are also many Acehnese people who actually do not want a referendum," Gus Dur said, in answer to a question raised by someone in his audience. "I have the responsibility to maintain the security," the president said before 150 Indonesian community members. He said he had persuaded Sultan Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam to provide assistance to Aceh had also been made by the governments of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. On Wednesday afternoon local time, President and First Lady Sinta Nuriyah Wahid left India for Seoul, South Korea. (F.RU3/NN08/IAJM-22:00/Jb:60/ri2/22:24) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 14 Feb 2000 jam 04:34:15 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
