EUHR Solana welcomes launch of Aceh Monitoring Mission

Javier Solana, EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, today welcomed the launch of the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) in Banda Aceh. Speaking after his meeting with Indonesian President Yudhoyono in New York on Wednesday, in the margins of the UN Summit, he underlined the importance of the AMM as the EU's first mission in Asia and stressed the EU's commitment to building a close relationship with Indonesia.

"I am delighted that we are launching the Aceh Monitoring Mission today. The EU wants to support Indonesia and the people of Aceh on the path to peace, security and prosperity. It wants in particular to help the Aceh region, which has been devastated both by conflict and by the consequences of the tsunami.

The AMM is the EU's first mission in Asia. By establishing it, the EU underlines its commitment not only to the peace process in Aceh but also to peace and stability in the region as a whole. This mission is a further step in the partnership that the EU is building with East Asian countries.

I met President Yudhoyono yesterday in New York. I told him that the EU is pleased to be able to support the implementation of the peace agreement in Aceh and is committed to making it a success. Reports suggest that the process is going well and I thanked the President for his cooperation and for that of the Indonesian authorities.

The EU and its ASEAN partners responded swiftly to the request from the Aceh peace process facilitator, Martti Ahtisaari, and from the Indonesian Government and the Free Aceh Movement. It was a challenge to set up the operation so quickly but we achieved it, first with an interim presence from 15 August, and now with the Aceh Monitoring Mission itself."

See also: Factsheet on Aceh Monitoring Mission

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