Banda Aceh, Aceh Darussalam (ANTARA News) - Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf said he did not believe the advanced countries` pledge to compensate Indonesia under a carbon trade scheme.

"Advanced countries had only played the compensation issue as we in reality we have so far never received the funds they promised tp give us," he said here on Saturday after opening the Governors` Climate and Forest (GFC) meeting attended by hundred traditional institution chiefs whose regions are located within the Ulue Masen and Leuser Mountain National Park.

The governor however said he remained committed to safeguarding and preserving forests in the region to prevent possible natural disasters in the Indonesian most eastern province.

"So our main focus is safeguarding the forest region to prevent disasters such as floods, landslides or drought. Whether or not we will get compensation funds that is another matter," he said.

The governor said conditions of forests in Aceh were improving after he applied a logging moratorium.

"There is no reason for people to complain that we have a shortage of logs for making coffins. That is a mere rumor spread by certain parties who wish to disrupt the logging moratorium," he said.

The governor said after the implementation of logging moratorium a lot of logs from illegal logging had been secured and kept at police stations.

"Some of them have been entrusted to police stations before being auctioned off. However some of them have now gone," he said.

In view of that he called on local forestry and agriculture chiefs to come to resort police stations to record the confiscated logs again to speed up their process of auction.
(T.A041/H-YH/HAJM)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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