Indonesian VP dismisses MPs' allegiance calls over amnesty for Aceh rebels

JAKARTA, Sunday (AFP) - Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla has dismissed calls by parliamentarians for Aceh rebels to swear an oath of allegiance to the government as a precondition for an amnesty, state media said Sunday.

Parliament, still smarting from not having been consulted by the government during the six-month negotiations with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) that led to the historic August 15 peace deal, insists the rebels take the oath. However, the Antara news agency quoted Kalla as saying Saturday that such an oath was "unimportant".

Kalla, a key player in the Aceh peace efforts, said that any former rebel who breaks the law would be punished like any other citizen, making the swearing of such an oath of allegiance irrelevant.