Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono explained to UN General Secretary Kofi Annan last night, Friday February 4, that the Indonesian government will not be internationalising the handling of the conflict with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

The Indonesian government will not be involving foreign countries in resolving the conflict. The conflict with GAM will be wholly resolved domestically in a framework based on special autonomy and Aceh remaining part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).

Yudhoyono’s remarks were conveyed to the press after visiting rice fields and holding a dialogue with farmers and members of the public from the Sukamanah village in the Jonggol sub-district of Bogor, West Java on Sunday. During the visit, President Yudhoyono was accompanied only by the Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi and presidential spokesperson Andi Mallarangeng.

Earlier, a UN spokesperson who had been replying to journalist’s questions about the appointment of former US President Bill Clinton as the UN special representative said that aside from his duties as the UN’s representative to coordinate private international funding in disaster areas, Clinton has also been appointed to resolve the GAM question in Aceh.

“Of course I was surprised because the Indonesian Government and I have never said [we] will internationalise the resolution of the Aceh question. The resolution of the Aceh question is wholly an Indonesian domestic matter. In asking the international community to also support Indonesia’s efforts to overcome the conflict in Aceh it was only part of a clarification that we want to resolve the problems in Aceh in the bast possible manner”, said Yudhoyono.

The president added that “There will be no international interference, as has happened in other countries. I will indeed be asking for an explanation from the UN Secretary General. He has clearly and explicitly told me that there is no mandate whatsoever [which has been given] to the UN’s [special] representative to participate in or take part in resolving the Aceh conflict”.

“Of that I an certain. Indeed, however we resolve it in our own framework there are no other [alternatives] except special autonomy and of course the Acehnese people can build for the future in the framework of NKRI”, said Yudhoyono. (HAR)

[Translated by James Balowski.]