AK-41, Bandung – The All-Java Aceh Social Forum in Bandung has succeeded in reaching an agreement to support the signing of the Helsinki peace agreement. The signing of the agreement between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) will take place in Helsinki on August 15.

“The peace process is a bridge of shining diamonds towards Aceh’s advance into the future. Because of this therefore, don’t let there be parties who violate the Helsinki peace agreement”, said Rusdimar, an Acehnese public figure in Bandung when speaking to Aceh Kita.

The meeting, which was opened by the minister of information and communication Sofyan Djalil, was attend by around 120 public figures and Acehnese student activists who live in Java. They came from Jakarta, Bogor, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Malang and Surabaya.

“Basically, all of the material of the Indonesian government-GAM agreement has been penciled in. And it is now just leaves it to be signed on August 15 in Helsinki”, said Djalil who was one of Indonesia’s negotiators who will witness first hand, the signing of the agreement.

Also speaking at the event was Prof. Dr T. Dzulkarnain Amin, MA (Padjadjaran University lecturer), Drs. Nasir Djamil (a member of the People’s Representative Assembly, DPR), Prof. Said Zainal Abidin (a lecturer at the Jakarta State Administrative Institute) and Dr. Ahmad Farhan Hamid (a DPR member). T. Muda Ariadi (Association of Acehnese Students in Bandung, Kamaba) facilitated the dialogue.

“Let us be ready to be one in supporting the realisation of the peace agreement in Helsinki. And in order to do this, a peace-loving spirit is need by all parties who agree to the realisation of the peace process in Aceh. Furthermore, the pubic must also support the process of socialising this peace”, said Djamil.

Similar views were expressed by Amin, Hamid and Abidin. “The rebellion which has taken place in Aceh is basically because there has been errors on the part of the central government. Because of this therefore, these errors cannot be repeated. This moment represents the right momentum to create peace in Aceh, in concert with the peace agreement in Aceh, hopefully the reconstruction of Aceh can be spurred on even faster”, said Amin.

Kamaba chairperson Ir. Kamal A Arief said that the All-Java Aceh Social Forum has succeeded in agreeing to support the peace deal in Helsinki and will continue to organise follow-up meetings in a number of other cities in Java which will be held in rotation. [asf]

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]