The Swedish Ambassador to Indonesia Harald Sanberg says his government won't take any legal action against Hassan Tiro, the exiled chief of Indonesia's separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), as long as he doesn't break any law in Sweden.
The ambassador made the statement Tuesday after Indonesia's chief security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the government would urge Sweden to take legal action against Tiro on the grounds that GAM was responsible for carnage in Aceh.
"We can only take legal action against our citizen, who violates the rules of law in Sweden," Sanberg was quoted as saying by China's Xinhua news agency.
The Indonesian government earlier this month delayed making a decision on whether to impose a state of emergency in Aceh, but said the rebels have until December to accept an autonomy package that came into effect at the beginning of this year or face further crackdowns.
GAM has refused to accept the autonomy deal, which gives the province a greater share of the revenue from its natural resources, but expressed hope that peace talks would be resumed.
Rights activists blame the Indonesian military for most of the bloodshed in Aceh and say certain officers want to prolong the conflict so they can profit from illegal businesses while stationed in the province.
It's no secret that some officers in Aceh get away with rape, torture and murder, and supplement their salaries by selling drugs. Little wonder then that the military is widely despised in staunchly Islamic Aceh.
Sanberg praised the government's efforts to end the conflict in Aceh. "Indonesia's efforts to end the conflict in the Aceh province is [sic] on the right track," he said, adding that Sweden supports a united Indonesia.
GAM has been fighting for independence since 1976, but the government refuses to allow Aceh's 4.1 million people to hold an independence referendum.
Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) commander General Endriartono Sutarto, who earlier this month said the military was in Aceh for war, not negotiations, on Tuesday said that talks with Tiro have not been ruled out.
"If in fact he still has some say over GAM, and in the effort to settle the Aceh conflict, a dialog with Hassan Tiro would be relevant," he said after attending a limited cabinet meeting.
He stressed that talks would only be held if GAM accepts the special autonomy legislation. "Within that framework, the government will continue discussions with all GAM leaders to pave the way for peace in Aceh."
But he said the government would never accept any proposals or demands for Aceh to secede from Indonesia.
Analysts say Indonesia will continue fighting a never-ending and unwinnable war in Aceh until it puts a stop to military atrocities because the vast majority of the territory's residents support the rebels.