The Helsinki Agreement: A More Promising Basis for Peace in Aceh?

Abstract

E Ea as st t--W We es st t C Ce en nt te er r The East-West Center is an internationally recognized education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen understanding and relations between the United States and the countries of the Asia Pacific.Through its programs of cooperative study, training, seminars, and research, the Center works to promote a stable, peaceful and prosperous Asia Pacific community in which the United States is a leading and valued partner.Funding for the Center comes from the U.S. government, private foundations, individuals, corporations, and a number of Asia Pacific governments. Executive SummaryOn August 15, 2005, in Helsinki, Finland, representatives of the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka; GAM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aiming to end the conflict in Aceh, Indonesia's westernmost province and the site of an armed insurgency that has operated at varying levels of intensity since 1976.The immediate background to the peace talks when they began in January 2005, did not seem propitious.There had already been two failed peace accords in recent years.In 2000, a "Humanitarian Pause" had generated only a temporary halt to the violence, while a December 2002 "Cessation of Hostilities Agreement" (COHA) ended when the Indonesian government declared a "military emergency" in Aceh in May 2003 and announced that it wanted to destroy GAM once and for all.Aceh seemed destined to endure many more years of armed conflict.The next two years, however, saw important changes on both sides that paved the way for a return to talks.The government's military offensive took a major toll on GAM and gave rise to battle fatigue among its supporters.Some GAM leaders began to feel that their existing strategy of armed struggle for independence had reached an impasse.Meanwhile, a presidential election in late 2004 handed control of the Indonesian government to two men, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President JusufThe Helsinki Agreement:A More Promising Basis for Peace in Aceh?When it was announced in January 2005 that representatives of the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) were resuming peace talks, most commentators were pessimistic.The announcement came after a period of intensified conflict in the territory that had begun with the breakdown of an earlier peace accord and the government's declaration of a "military emergency" in May 2003.It also followed the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004, which caused massive destruction and loss of life in Aceh.To many outside observers, the tsunami was an external shock that pushed the two sides back to the negotiating table, but it did not appear to alter the fundamental dynamics of the conflict or the deep enmity between the belligerents.The somber predictions seemed close to coming true during the five rounds of tough bargaining between January and July.On several occasions the process seemed close to collapsing. 1 Nevertheless, the talks succeeded.Indeed, this monograph argues that the MoU represents the best chance for a negotiated peace since the insurgency began almost three decades ago.In part, this is because of the comprehensive nature of the agreement.The MoU sets down the outline of a permanent settlement and includes provisions on the government of Aceh, human rights protection, security matters, imaginative methods for

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