http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Indonesia-critic-joins-Aceh-talks-team/2005/02/20/1108834660821.html?oneclick=true
Indonesia critic joins Aceh talks team By Matthew Moore February 21, 2005 An Australian academic will be part of the delegation representing Acehnese separatists when a second round of peace talks with Indonesia begins today. Damien Kingsbury, senior lecturer in international development at Deakin University, Melbourne, will join the eight-member delegation from the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) for three days of talks in Helsinki. Dr Kingsbury attended the first round of talks this month as an observer, but says he is now formally part of the "backroom" team advising GAM leaders negotiating with a team of Indonesian ministers in an attempt to resolve the 30-year conflict. Fatal clashes between the Indonesian military and GAM have continued since the tsunami devastated much of the province and there is mounting pressure on both sides to resolve the conflict to allow the reconstruction to continue safely. So far, the talks have been deadlocked over Indonesia's insistence GAM drop its demands for independence and negotiate a form of special autonomy. Dr Kingsbury said that GAM would set aside its independence demands if the Indonesian Government removed or disarmed all 40,000 troops and paramilitary police and allowed a multi-national force to monitor a ceasefire. He said GAM would need a commitment that the Acehnese would get to vote on their future. A long-time critic of the Indonesian military, Dr Kingsbury said he expected the Indonesian Government "might be sensitive about my involvement" but hoped it would accept he was trying to help end the war and not support GAM's aims. "I am not there to advocate independence for Aceh, I'm there to try and achieve a negotiated political outcome." Reuters reports that Jakarta has described as "redundant" a United Nations inquiry into a 1999 rampage in which Indonesian gangs killed about 1000 East Timorese around the time of the country's independence vote, saying it would work within its own already established commission. The decision of the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, o go ahead with a separate review was announced on Friday, with a UN spokesman saying Mr Annan hoped the review could complement the existing commission. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Has someone you know been affected by illness or disease? Network for Good is THE place to support health awareness efforts! http://us.click.yahoo.com/rkgkPB/UOnJAA/Zx0JAA/uTGrlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
