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Indonesian Government, Aceh Rebels Reach Tentative Argeement on Truce

Posted on: Sunday, 17 July 2005, 09:00 CDT

Indonesian government, Aceh rebels reach tentative argeement on truce HELSINKI, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government and Aceh rebels reached a tentative agreement on truce here Saturday in their fifth round of peace talks.

The agreement, yet to be studied and approved by the leadership of the two sides, will be formally signed in mid-August.

Indonesian Information Minister Sofyan Djalil said the peace talks in Helsinki had reached a "tentative agreement" on the rebels' future participation in Aceh's politics, which would be studied by the government in Jakarta early on Sunday.

The minister said he was "very optimistic" there would be a blueprint for a formal truce to be signed "some time before Aug. 17 in Helsinki."

Bakhtiar Abdullah, spokesman for the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), said in a statement, "If this proposal is accepted in Jakarta it will pave the way for finalizing an agreement on achieving a sustainable peace in Aceh."

The latest round of peace talks is expected to end on Sunday.

GAM has waged a guerrilla war since 1976, accusing Jakarta of exploiting the impoverished province's rich resources. More than 12,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since then.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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