However, Aspinall noted that most GAM leaders whom he had interviewed, particularly the field officers, were adamant that their acceptance of the Helsinki MoU was not due to their military weakness.
Akan tetapi, Aspinall mencatat bahwa sebagian besar petinggi GAM yang ia wawancarai, terutama petugas lapangan, bersikeras bahwa mereka mengakui MoU Helsinki bukan karena militer mereka semakin lemah.