ACEH: AHTISAARI ANGRY OVER TNI MILITARY MOVES

C O N F I D E N T I A L HELSINKI 000492 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/IET, INR/EAP AND EUR/NB E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2015 TAGS: PREL ID FI SUBJECT: ACEH: AHTISAARI ANGRY OVER TNI MILITARY MOVES AGAINST THE GAM REF: A. HELSINKI 0242 ¶B. HELSINKI 0228 ¶C. JAKARTA 2068 (NOTAL) ¶D. HELSINKI 0185 Classified By: POLOFF DAVID ALLEN SCHLAEFER FOR REASON 1.4 (B) and (D) ¶1. (C) Aceh mediator and former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari phoned DCM on April 28 and expressed anger and dismay over reports that he had just received from Aceh concerning significant Indonesian attacks on GAM positions in Aceh, including the use of bombs on GAM bases. Ahtisaari said that based on conversations with his own sources, he did not believe the attacks were in response to GAM provocations, but were deliberate assaults launched by the TNI. An agitated Ahtisaari told the DCM that he was going to call Indonesian Vice President Kalla and tell him that if the assaults did not cease at once, he would pull the plug on the talks, or at least on the upcoming May round. ¶2. (C) Ahtisaari did not speculate as to whether he believed the attacks were launched by the TNI on its own initiative or were sanctioned by the GoI. Finnish businessman and Ahtisaari confidant Juha Christensen was in Indonesia, and Ahtisaari expected to receive more information from him shortly. The Embassy will also attempt to contact Christensen (who originally brokered the Helsinki talks). ¶3. (C) Ahtisaari also told the DCM that he believed it would be very difficult to establish an effective monitoring force acceptable to both sides. While Ahtisaari has been talking about a force consisting of 200 unarmed observers, the GAM were holding out for as many as 1500. Ahtisaari said that he keeps telling the GAM that it is not the numbers of observers but their commitment that is important. He also said that he wants to keep the onus on the parties to reach settlement and not have them rely on outsiders. He indicated he would be calling the British, Germans, and Dutch- as well as the US -to use their influence with the GoI to stop the renewed TNI assaults on the GAM's remaining military formations. MACK