Aceh rebels agree to peace deal

[Eugene]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4689901.stm

Last Updated: Saturday, 16 July, 2005, 21:04 GMT 22:04 UK

Aceh rebels agree to peace deal

Delegates from the Indonesian government and Aceh rebels have agreed
a tentative peace deal, the rebels say.

The accord, being negotiated in the Finnish capital Helsinki, is aimed
at bringing an end to 30 years of conflict in the southern Indonesian
province.

The agreement will need to be approved by the Indonesian government in
Jakarta before it can be made official.

The peace talks were first initiated in the wake of December's tsunami
that killed at least 120,000 people in Aceh.

more...

[dArKeR]

1. Aceh rebels seek to form own party

Acehnese separatists and the Indonesian government negotiators said yesterday that a treaty to end one of the world's longest-running wars hinged on an agreement to allow the rebels to form their own political party.

"The draft of the accord is almost complete, only two paragraphs remain in question," said Damian Kingsbury, an Australian academic who is part of the Acehnese delegation at the talks.

The rebels have agreed to set aside their demand for independence but insist the government give them the right to form their own political party in Aceh, an oil- and gas-rich province at the tip of Sumatra island which has been wracked by a separatist conflict since 1976 and was ravaged by the Asian tsunami on Dec. 26.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2005/07/17/2003263865