Banda Aceh – Preparations for a planned consultative congress on the future of the troubled Indonesian province of Aceh are nearing completion, participants said Monday on the eve of a visit by President Abdurrahman Wahid to the region.

"There has already been a lot of progress," said Amin Aziz, an academic who has been active in preparing the congress.

The planned conference, expected to take place early next month, is intended to bring together representatives of all sections of society in the oil-rich northern province.

But it remains unclear whether the rebels of the Aceh merdeka (Free Aceh) Movement (GAM) will take part. GAM is fighting for an independent Islamic state in Aceh.

Wahid, who is expected to visit Sabang in Aceh on Tuesday for talks with community leaders, has so far ruled out a vote on independence for the province.

He has however pledged enhanced autonomy and a referendum on whether Sharia, or Islamic law, is introduced. On Sunday he expressed confidence that a political settlement could be reached in the province by March.

Tuesday's talks are to be held at Sabang – located on tiny Weh island off the northern tip of Sumatra – because of security concerns, officials said.

The Indonesian President's trip to Aceh will not include a visit to the province's capital, Banda Aceh, where protest rallies have been planned.

Aziz said that almost all the various groups planning to take part in the consultative congress had selected representatives to take part in a preparatory committee.

Student groups will agree on theirs at a youth and student congress scheduled for early February, he said.

A series of meetings, dialogues and informal gatherings have been held in Banda Aceh in the past week to prepare for the congress, he added.

The preparatory commitee will include nine members representing intellectuals, politicians, religious leaders, traditional Muslim scholars and non-governmental organisations, said Ahmad Farhan Hamid, who is also involved in preparations for the congress. Hamid said that another nine seats at the committee will be for representatives of students.

A staunchly Muslim and resource-rich province on the northern tip of Sumatra, Aceh has been wracked by clashes between Indonesian troops and GAM rebels and their supporters.

As well as talking to Acehnese leaders, Wahid is due Tuesday to inaugurate the special trade zone of Sabang and the region's participation in a growth zone area that also includes Malaysia and Singapore.