JAKARTA, NOV 18: The Indonesian parliament is opposed to plans by President Abdurrahman Wahid to hold a referendum on self-determination in the troubled province of Aceh, Wahid said on Thursday."I was told this morning by House Speaker Akbar Tanjung that the DPR (parliament) rejected a referendum for Aceh," Wahid told the house. "I myself am of the opinion that there should be a referendum in Aceh," he, however, added.He said that the differing opinions on the referendum for the restive province should still be discussed between the government and the legislature. "Let us fight, let us debate it as long as it is conducted in line with the law," he said. He declined to elaborate saying he was appearing before the house to consult it on his policies to scrap the information and social affairs ministries.Meanwhile, foreign minister Alwi Shihab told journalists he believed only a few people, both in Aceh and in Indonesia, wanted the province to break away from Indonesia. "Nobody except a very smallportion of Indonesians and Acehnese would like to have independence," Shihab said.He said he believed the people of Aceh were currently "angry" and therefore had put forward a demand for independence. "All Indonesians insist that Aceh should be a part of Indonesia and I hope that Acehnese also realise the importance of being a part of Indonesia," he said.
