Govt, Aceh rebels fail to reach agreement on ExxonMobil
Tuesday, July 10 2001 - 02:18 AM WIB
Director general of political affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hasan Wirajuda was quoted by the paper as saying on Monday that the peace talks had brought no results as the negotiators representing the Aceh rebel group, which is popularly known as GAM, turned down two demands made by the government.
The fist demand was that GAM should publicly announce that they would no longer harass ExxonMobil?s operation physically, psychologically, and politically.
?We know that today situations (at ExxonMobil?s gas fields) are safe enough. But, one telephone call (from GAM) could scare ExxonMobil,? Hasan said following a meeting on security conditions in Aceh at the Coordinating Ministry of Social, Political and Security Affairs.
Hasan was the head of Indonesian team of negotiators for the Geneva talks from June 30 to July 1.
The second demand made by the Indonesian negotiators was that GAM should send its supreme commander Tengku A Syafei to the Geneva talks rather than his subordinates.
Hasan said during the peace talks, GAM?s negotiators asked for a total cease-fire during the two-day peace talks, but the government?s negotiators turned down the requests unless GAM was willing to meet the government?s demand regarding the ExxonMobil protection and the presence of Syafei.
ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia, which is the unit of American energy giant ExxonMobil Corp, suspended its gas operation in Lhok Sukon, North Aceh in March following continued harassment allegedly caused by GAM.
GAM has been fighting for decades for the Aceh independence and they had been intensifying their operation over the past several years following the resignation of former President Soeharto in 1998.
President Abdurrahman Wahid had issued a decree to resume the military operation against the rebel group. (*)