Tokyo, Tuesday, 5 August, 2003

Today, the Preparatory Conference on Peace and Reconstruction in Aceh, sponsored by Japan, United States of America, the World Bank, and the European Union, is currently being held in Tokyo. The Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia, Yutaka Iimura, in his opening speech expressed his cautious optimism for peace in Aceh, while recognizing the importance of trust building. Said Ambassador Iimura, I am aware, however, that peace cannot come overnight because peace is indeed fragile at the beginning. Trust must be gained, and the future must be viewed as attainable for all parties involved. Ambassador Iimura speech was followed by a welcome speech by Senior Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tetsuro Yano. Senior Vice Minister Yano expressed his hope, saying that "this conference, in the years to come, will lead to concrete results which benefit Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and the entire international community.

The conference is attended by more than 70 officials from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, the European Union, the European Community, Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (Henry Dunant Centre).

The conference aims at supporting the ongoing peace dialogue between the Government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), and is a forum for the participants to express their willingness to help the future reconstruction of Aceh once peace is achieved. The Government of Indonesia, represented by the Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is scheduled to provide an explanation on the progress of dialogue, and representatives from civil society in Aceh are also planning to speak at this conference.

The conference will end with an issuance of Co-Chair Summary Statement, which will be released later today, followed by a joint press conference, attended by the co-chairs and Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.