Tapol warmly welcomes the agreement on the cessation of hostilities signed today in Geneva by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia (GoI) and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Tapol regards this agreement as the first, fundamental step towards resolving the conflict in Aceh which has been going on for more than two decades. Tapol recognises that the peace process can only be sustainable if a number of burning issues in Aceh are properly addressed.

Our first concern is that the issue of justice must be properly addressed. Recent figures published by the human rights organisation Kontras provide an alarming account of victims of human rights violations. From January till November 2002, almost five thousand cases were recorded, including killings, disappearances, torture and arbitrary detention, perpetrated by the Indonesian security forces.

From 1989 till 1998, when special military operations were underway in Aceh, tens of thousands of Acehnese were victims of military brutality. None of the perpetrators have been brought to justice.

The other worrying issue is the declining economy of Aceh. The many years of war have brought the economy to a standstill. Illegal activities are widespread in Aceh, including illegal logging, smuggling, extortion, illegal taxes and drugs dealing. The security forces, both the army and the police, are responsible for these highly damaging activities.

Unless these root causes of the conflict are addressed properly, the peace process will fail to take hold. The peace deal has been achieved thanks to efforts from many quarters. There has been strong pressure from the international community which strongly favours an end to the violence in Aceh. The internationalisation of the Aceh issue has been a helpful tool for those within the Indonesian government who firmly believe that conflicts can only be solved through negotiations.

On the other hand, top-ranking officers in the Indonesian military have pursued a disastrous policy of seeking to resolve the conflict by military means.

Tapol also welcomes the agreement's advocacy of rehabilitation and reconstruction in the region, the commencement of all-inclusive dialogue including civil society of Aceh and the holding of fair and democratic elections in 2004. We sincerely hope that this will eventually lead to the solution of the political roots of the conflict in line with the wishes of the majority of the Acehnese people.