PRESIDENT ASKS AHTISAARI TO CONTINUE HELPING PEACE PROCESS IN ACEH

Jakarta, Feb. 23 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has asked Finnish ex-president Martti Ahtisaari as former facilitator of the Aceh peace deal to continue helping to promote the peace process in Indonesia's most-western province.

Yudhoyono made the request in a 30-minute meeting with Ahtisaari at the VIP room of Halim Perdanakusuma military airport here on Monday before leaving for Aceh for a two-day working visit.
"The President asked Martti Ahtisaari to continue helping the smooth implementation of the Helsinki MoU by , among other things, ensuring that ex-GAM (Aceh Free Movement) leaders remain committed to the spirit of the peace agreement within the framework of autonomy under the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia," Dino Pati Djalal, a presidential spokesman, said.
Ahtisaari accepted President Yudhoyono's request because he still had contacts with ex-GAM leaders who in August 2005 agreed to sign the Helsinki Accord with the Indonesian government, Djalal said.
The president and Ahtisaari also discussed the success criteria of the Aceh peace process, namely a total end to armed conflict and the support of all elements in Aceh for peace in their province, Djalal said.
Yudhoyono also emphasized that the rehabilitation process in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami and the process of reintegrating members of the former separatist GAM into Aceh society must happen simultaneously.
"Both (processes) must be implemented parallel and in a complementary way to be a success. Therefore, the President said that trust building needs to be done to maximum extent," Djalal said.
On Sunday evening, Vice President Jusuf Kalla met with Martti Ahtisaari who had facilitated the peace agreement between the Indonesian government and GAM.
Martti Ahtisaari is chairman of the Crisis Management Initiative, and was awarded the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize, among other things, for his role in making the two parties involved in the almost three-decade-old armed conflict in Aceh agree to sign a peace agreement.