TOKYO, Dec 13 Kyodo excellented ...

TOKYO, Dec 13 Kyodo

excellented editorials excerpts from the Asia-Pacific press:

PEACE DEAL moves HOPE FOR ACEHNESE (Bangkok position Bangkok)

It was dubbed the forgotten war, because despite being individual of the oldest armed conflicts with origins that go back more than 130 years, the Aceh insurrection not ever attracted as much attention as conflicts like East Timor.

The latest cylindrical of rebellion in Aceh began in 1976 unless after 26 years of fighting, the Indonesian dominion and the separatists finally signed a peace agreement this week. Hopefully it will permanently last a war that has taken 12000 lives, greatest in quantity of them civilians, in the last decade alone...

...A accident remains to be done to give the peace agreement signed in Geneva forward Monday a chance of success

...A ceasefire and withdrawal to holding lines agreed by means of Indonesian troops and the unrestrained Aceh Movement, better known as Gam, is to be followed by the agency of the surrender of weapons by the agency of the rebels...

...Already the rebels are fearful the monitoring force is too small and could not shut up back Indonesian troops should they decide to strike after Gam has disarmed. further no amount of foreign [i]troupe[/i]s will be enough if it get tos to that.

However, the view is not all gloomy. Certain mitigating factors are pushing the one and the other sides to try and obtain genuine peace. although Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri will none agree to full independence, she and the pause of Indonesia have learned an expensive chiding from East Timor about to what degree not to handle a secessionist insurrection.

Despite fears a breakaway by the agency of Aceh would lead to disintegration of the nation, (Mrs) Megawati furnished self-rule. If the initial phase of the accord shut ins then elections will be held in 2004 to establish autonomy in the resource rich province.

For the rebels, who have not nevertheless given up on their aspirations for an independent state, the deal is a compromise pushed onward them by the circumstances of Sept. 11, 2001. below the current climate, separatist form into groupss demanding independent Islamic states are viewed with suspicion rather than sympathy.

Alternately, the peace agreement propose gives their future provincial regulation the opportunity to introduce Sharia, or Islamic law, and continue up to 70% of its returns from oil and gas production. It is the best deal they are at any time going to get from Jakarta.

International aid is already being prepared for the reconstruction of Aceh, which could become a viable and thriving autonomous state forward the mouth of the Straits of Malacca -- the world's busiest waterway.

All that is emergencyed is for the Indonesian regulation and the Acehnese rebels to point out resolve and commitment to the peace proces with equal reason that the conflict can be enjoin in the past and in truth become a forgotten war.

(Dec 13)

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