Annan calls on all sides in Indonesia’s Aceh province to respect landmark election results
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the first local election in Indonesia’s Aceh province since last year’s peace deal was signed between separatists and the Government, as he called on all sides to abide by the poll results and build on the agreement that ended almost 30 years of conflict.
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the first local election in Indonesia’s Aceh province since last year’s peace deal was signed between separatists and the Government, as he called on all sides to abide by the poll results and build on the agreement that ended almost 30 years of conflict.
“The Secretary-General is encouraged by the orderly conduct of the 11 December 2006 local elections in Indonesia’s Aceh province… [he] calls on all parties to respect the results of these elections in order to help consolidate the peace process, which aims to build a secure and prosperous Aceh within a united and democratic Indonesia,” his spokesman said in New York.
Indonesia’s Government and the separatist Free Aceh Movement signed a preliminary peace agreement in July 2005, followed a month later by a Memorandum of Understanding, which covers a wide array of issues ranging from the governing of the province and security arrangements to human rights issues.