The Joint Council Meeting between the Republic of Indonesia and the leadership of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) which took place in Tokyo, 17-18 May 2003 failed to reach an Agreement to evaluate the implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) signed on 9 December 2002 in Geneva.

        In the two days meeting, both parties have sought to discuss outstanding issues with regard to the implementation of the COHA such as the acceptance of the Nangroe Aceh Darussalam Law in the Framework of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia and the placement of GAM's weapons. Although the HDC, as facilitator, assisted by Co-chairs of the Tokyo Meeting (Japan, US, EU and the World Bank) tried hard to push GAM to implement its obligation under the COHA. GAM in fact failed to firmly declare its acceptance on the Nangroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) Autonomy Law and refuses to abandon its armed struggle and its separatist activities.

        Meanwhile in the field, GAM continuously makes material breach towards COHA such as: continuously to declare for independence and separation from the unitary state of Indonesia, fail to fulfill its obligation to place its weapons as required by COHA, establish rivalry local governmental structure, continuously recruit for "Aceh National Army" and conducted extortion against Acehnese people and impose levies called as Nangroe Tax. These GAM activities are clearly not only against the provisions of the Indonesian national law but also in contravention with the spirit and letter of the COHA.

        The implementation of COHA is now more than five months. Despite, in one hand, the initial drastic decline in the number of direct conflict and the concomitant civilian, on the other hand this Agreement has increasingly been faced with a number of difficulties. The Government of the Republic of Indonesia therefore requested the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC) for the immediate convening of the Joint Council as guaranteed by Articles 8 and 9 of COHA.

        The Joint Council Meeting, supposedly to be held in Geneva on 25 April 2003 failed to be convened due to the failure of the GAM to be present in Geneva without giving any convincing reasons. The Tokyo Joint Council Meeting, facilitated by HDC and also attended by host country Japan, Ambassador of the United States in Jakarta, Ambassador of Greece in Jakarta (representing the EU Presidency) and the Representative of the World Bank, was aimed at seeking a solution to problems which cannot be solved in the Joint Security Committee in Banda Aceh.

Tokyo, 19 May 2003