Tony Hotland, Jakarta – The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) should dissolve itself after establishing a local political party within six months, the EU-led international monitors for the former war-torn province said here Saturday.
"They first need to establish a political party. The party should come in six months and as soon as possible thereafter they should be considered disbanded," Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) head Pieter Feith said.
Speaking after bidding farewell to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Feith said the establishment of a local party should be a turning point for the former rebel organization to disband.
Similarly, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Friday that GAM should disband after last week's gubernatorial election in Aceh, which saw the possible victory of former GAM spokesman Irwandi Yusuf and his running mate Muhammad Nazar.
National Resilience Institute head Muladi also made such a call Thursday. "There will be new problems and suspicions if GAM is not disbanded," he said.
GAM's dissolution surfaced after Irwandi and Nazar used some of the groups's symbols in their gubernatorial campaign.
Irwandi is yet to respond to the calls, but has urged for the amendment of several articles in the Aceh governing law that he believes contravene the peace accord.
Former GAM leader Malik Mahmoed has said that the group will disband pending the establishment of its political party.
Meanwhile, Communications and Information Minister Sofyan Djalil, who was a government negotiator for the five-round peace talks with GAM in Helsinki last year, said the government would soon issue a decree on local parties in Aceh.
"The draft has already been finalized and will rule on the technicalities relating to the creation of local parties. The obligation to establish these legal grounds is stated in the Aceh governing law," he said Sunday.
Under the Helsinki peace pact signed in August 2005, the central government must draw up rules for establishment of local parties in Aceh within 18 months.
Feith further said that the international community would remain supportive and assist in any future disputes related to the peace agreement. The AMM ended on Friday its 15-month mandate to supervise the implementation of the accord.
"We have reached an agreement that the government and GAM with have dialogs and make direct contact with each other. There's a provision in the (memorandum of understanding) that means we should automatically be considered to be of help. I see it as very likely," he said.
In an open letter to the Acehnese people, the pact's signatories, the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) and the EU, pledged to keep safeguarding the accord and the reconciliation process. "We remain firmly committed to a comprehensive and sustainable peace in Aceh with dignity for all," the letter said.
Feith urged the next Aceh governor to establish an effective relationship with Jakarta in order to continue to promote peace. "Irwandi should decide for himself what to do and how to prepare his mandate to ensure confidence with the government and the legislature in Aceh," he said.
Presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said Jakarta remained committed to working with the Aceh administration based on the peace agreement. "The President sees two priorities here. They are the reintegration of GAM members and the development of Aceh's welfare," he said.
At the Saturday meeting, Feith presented Yudhoyono with a European Security and Defense Policy Service award from the European Union. Another recipient of the medal for the same cause was former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, who is currently chairing the CMI.