Aceh rebels set for talks

Extra government troops have already been sent to the province

Separatist rebels from the Indonesian province of Aceh have agreed to talks with government officials in a last-minute bid to save a faltering peace process.

The meeting, between government negotiators and representatives from the Free Aceh Movement (Gam), will take place in Tokyo on 17 May.

Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri cautioned, however, that preparations for a proposed military offensive against the rebels would continue.

She was speaking after parliament leaders backed her plans for the security operation in Aceh, which Speaker Akbar Tanjung said would involve the declaration of martial law.

Gam spokesman Sofyan Dawood was similarly circumspect about the Tokyo talks.

"No one is thinking this is an end to the tensions," he said. "The Tokyo meeting is the result of incredible pressure from the United States, Japan and the European Union. We hope Indonesia will listen to them and not start this military offensive."

The talks are a last-ditch attempt to avert war

Speculation that military action was imminent has been fuelled in recent days by the arrival of thousands of troop reinforcements in Aceh, after Gam ignored a Monday deadline set by Jakarta to enact the terms of their peace agreement.

The peace deal that the Tokyo talks will attempt to salvage was signed by both sides in December.

It has looked increasingly fragile in recent months, with the cancellation of high-profile talks and a rise in violent incidents on the ground.

'International pressure'

The government proposed the new talks after an emergency meeting with ambassadors from donor countries, including the United States and Japan.

The Geneva-based Henry Dunant Centre (HDC), which brokered the December peace agreement, said the Tokyo talks were "an example of the continuing commitment of both the government of Indonesia and (rebels), together, to solve the question of Aceh through dialogue".

Mr Dawood, a spokesman for Gam, said he hoped the talks would "avert the loss of thousands of lives".

But he said the initiative was "not the result of a kind Indonesian heart" and had only come about after "international community pressure".

Troops strengthened

War has loomed since Monday, the deadline for a government demand that Gam lay down its arms and abandon claims for independence, or face military action.

Earlier this week, more than 6,000 military personnel are reported to have joined the 25,000-strong forces already stationed in the area.

Rebel forces are estimated at 3,000-5,000 fighters.

Gam has been fighting a 26-year conflict for Aceh's independence, during which an estimated 12,000 people have died.

The mainly-Muslim province enjoyed a long period as an independent sultanate before it was incorporated into the Republic of Indonesia in 1949.

Resentment against Jakarta's rule has been fuelled by perceived abuses by the Indonesian military, and a feeling that the government has not shared the proceeds from the province's rich natural resources with the local population.