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Indonesian Govt, GAM Strike Accord to Reduce Violence
The Indonesian government representatives and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) commanders reached an agreement on ways to reduce the violence in troubled province of Aceh, according to the Jakarta Post Monday.
The agreement was reached in a day-long session in Banda Aceh, capital of the province, on Saturday amid continuing violence which killed no less than seven people and injured 20 others over the weekend.
"The representatives of the two sides would meet in Switzerland next week, but the exact date has yet been decided," Indonesian government envoy Col. Ridwan Karim said.
He also announced that the new four-point code of conduct would go into effect for 10 days from February 11.
Under the pact, both sides agreed to halt the violence that has caused loss of life and damaged people's livelihood and rejected such acts as attacks, kidnapping, torture, arson, extortion, rape, harassment, intimidation, terror, illegal arrest, illegal raid, bombings and ambushes.
They also agreed to open channels of communication between their commanders in the field, and to try to jointly promote law and order.
GAM has been fighting for a free Islamic state since the mid 1970s. Thousands of people have been killed during the clashes between the government troops and the Acehnese rebels.
Last month, the government and the GAM signed a one-month-long moratorium on violence in Geneva, Switzerland. Both sides agreed to uphold law enforcement in the province. But sporadic gunfights involving the government troops and the rebels continued in several areas.
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