National

TNI to Withdraw Troops Within Three Months
Tuesday, 19 July, 2005 | 17:24 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto has said that he will withdraw TNI troops from Aceh within three months of the signing of an agreement between Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

This is scheduled to take place on August 15, 2005, and will be carried out if GAM really does surrender over its weapons.

“It’s not that we don’t believe them. But we have to see how far GAM obeys the result of the agreement. If in the agreement, the GAM surrenders 30 percent of its weapons, then we will also withdraw 30 percent of our troops,” Sutarto told reporters after signing a joint agreement charter between the TNI and the National Police on board Indonesian ship the Tanjung Nusanive-973 ship on Monday (18/07).

In principle, he continued, the TNI had no objection to withdrawing its troops from Aceh.

The TNI even hopes that the Helsinki talks would be able to thoroughly settle the conflict in Aceh.

“If the GAM is committed to and is serious about surrendering its weapons, there is nothing wrong with the withdrawal of TNI troops,” said the TNI Chief.

According to Sutarto, the TNI is present in Aceh due to GAM.

Therefore, if GAM re-unites with Indonesia and surrenders its weapons, there shall be no more security disturbances.

“Why should we have to spend out a large budget for TNI percsonnel who no longer have any assignment?” Sutarto asked.

The TNI Chief added that as long as the talks were yet to be signed, the security situation in Aceh would remain the same.

“In the agreement, there will be a clause mentioning the process on the field,” said Sutarto.

Regarding the presence of foreign monitoring agency in Aceh, the TNI Chief stated he had no objection to this.
(Sunariyah-Tempo News Room)