Aceh rebels agree to peace deal

The confict in Aceh has gone on for 30 years

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 western 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.

Political party issue

About 15,000 people have died in the three decades-old conflict.

A previous peace deal broke down in May 2003 amid bitter recriminations.

ACEH: ESSENTIAL FACTS Located on the northern tip of Sumatra island Population of 4.3m people Rich fuel resources, including oil and natural gas Gam rebels have been fighting for an independent state

"We have reached a compromise position... We have agreed on the language in the draft agreement and sent it to Jakarta for ratification," Damien Kingsbury, political adviser to the Free Aceh Movement (Gam) told AFP.

"If ratified in Jakarta, the deal will be initialled tomorrow," he added.

The meeting, brokered by Finnish mediators, had been deadlocked over the issue of political representation.

The Gam rebels had earlier rejected a proposal that would allow them to field candidates within existing political parties, demanding instead that it be allowed to form its own political party.

But that sticking point appears to have now been solved.

The Gam rebels said they had "reached an in principle agreement on the question of the establishment of local political parties in Aceh".