Renville Agreement

▪ Netherlands-Indonesia [1948]

      (Jan. 17, 1948), treaty between The Netherlands and the Republic of Indonesia concluded on the U.S. warship Renville, anchored in the harbour of Djakarta (now Jakarta). It was an attempt, albeit unsuccessful, to mediate disputes left unresolved by an earlier Dutch-Indonesian settlement, the Linggadjati Agreement of 1946.

      After the Linggadjati Agreement—under which a federal United States of Indonesia was to be formed—conflicts between the Dutch and the republicans had continued. Each side accused the other of violating the agreement. The Dutch continued their military operations, moving into the republic's territory in Java and Madura, while the republicans sought help abroad. The Security Council of the United Nations offered its mediation, which led to the formation of the Good Offices Committee (GOC), consisting of three members: Australia (chosen by the republic), Belgium (chosen by the Dutch), and the United States (chosen by both). The GOC assured that the internal powers of the republic would not be reduced in the interim period pending the transfer of Dutch sovereignty to a federal Indonesia and that the republic would get a fair representation in the future federal government.

      The cease-fire agreement, known as the Renville Agreement, confirmed Dutch territorial gains and also granted the Dutch de jure sovereignty until the formation of the United States of Indonesia was completed. On the Indonesian side, the republic's sole gain was the promise of a plebiscite in the Dutch-occupied parts of Java, Madura, and Sumatra, to determine whether they would join the republic or become separate states.

      The Dutch soon declared that they had established a state in Sumatra, which incorporated part of the republican territories. They also convoked a conference at which the republic was represented as a minority partner. In December 1948, the Dutch launched a military operation and captured the republican capital of Jogjakarta (Yogyakarta). The Indonesians waged guerrilla war against the Dutch, however, until the Dutch were finally expelled in 1949.

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