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Group Offers Islamic Solutions to End Aceh Conflict
JAKARTA, July 19 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - An unexpected offer was made Thursday in an attempt to end the conflict in the restive province of Aceh in an Islamic mannere, sources in Jakarta said.
The head of the Youth Front of Aceh (FB), M. Acah, has offered three conditions to end the conflict in the province, also called the Small Mecca. His proposals urge the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian government to be fair, Islamic and rid itself of feelings of hatred.
He said all parties, including the warring factions, the GAM and the Indonesian government, would accept the solutions.
"That way the problem will see an end, and I am optimist[ic] the war will be over if the warring factions apply these principles in their approach to the conflict," Acar said.
He invited the people of Aceh to go back to the teachings of the Holy Qur'an and Hadith of the prophet of Islam, and consider the years of fighting and conflict as a trial from Allah (SWT) towards his slaves.
His proposals clearly mean an official recognition of the GAM by Indonesian Republic (RI) officials, the laying off of arms and the cooperation of the Acehnese in the peace process.
However, a member of the Indonesian government in Aceh, Abu Yus, the chief of the local legislative assembly in Banda Aceh, said the problems could be solved with the imposition of law and order.
He said the local legislature should become the mouthpiece of the people of Aceh, meaning that the warring factions should use this platform to express their views.
He added that with law and order fully implemented in the province, no factions other than the political elites would have the right to talk on behalf of the people of Aceh.
On the other hand, in Banda Aceh itself, Samuel Kotto, a member of Aceh's legislative body (DPRD), said the government should grant 70% of profits from the exploitation of local resources in Aceh to the state.
He added that the remaining 30% should go to the government and that this was sufficient enough for Jakarta.
"This is a fair deal and it will help the people of Aceh to progress," Kotto said.
Kotto added that the people of Aceh have always worked hard to survive and that such a deal would boost the people's morale, adding that Aceh could become an example for other states.
Aceh's legislative body recently discussed matters concerning the distribution of wealth from the government, and decided that the current 80%-20% split from resource sharing in favor of the RI was unrealistic.
The Acehnese have been fighting for an independent state in Aceh and for the creation of an Islamic state. The 30-year conflict has opposed the GAM against the Indonesian military.
During the time of General Suharto, the military was ordered to carry out a general crack down on separatism, leading to the murder, rape and imprisonment of thousands of people.
Current Indonesian president, Abdurrahman Wahid, promised a solution to the conflict, but has not been able to solve problems in Aceh. His proposals for a referendum, excluding the possibility of independence, were flatly rejected by millions of Acehnese who rallied against him.
Additional reporting by Kazi Mahmood
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