Jakarta – The government yesterday stepped up pressure on rebels in restive Aceh province to halt violence which could jeopardize a three-month-old ceasefire agreement expected for extension.

Foreign Ministry Director General of Political Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said while Jakarta wants to extend the truce which expires on Saturday, the rebel Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has to stop armed fighting against security forces and locals.

"We are inclined to go for an extension but we have to assess improvements in the field by GAM," Wirayuda told reporters in Jakarta. "We hope that GAM can correct their attitude in regard to various threats against local district heads because that will be taken into account by the government in deciding whether or not to extend the humanitarian pause," he said. Wirayuda accused the rebels of also extorting money from local officials.

Earlier this month, Jakarta said it was "strongly inclined" to extend the truce, which was signed by the government and the rebels in Geneva on May 12. The rebels have also said they were inclined to extend the ceasefire, which took effect on June 2.

The government has insisted separatist rebels drop their demands for independence for Aceh. It recently warned that it was losing patience in the search for peace for the strife-torn region.

A so-called "Joint Forum," set up as a result of the Geneva agreement and comprising representatives of both parties, recently met to assess progress. The truce has been marred by sporadic violence. At least 65 people, including eight soldiers and two policemen, have been killed since June 2.

Local military and police commanders said last week that the ceasefire was not working and recommended the government declare a civil emergency in the province. A civil emergency is one step down from martial law and gives the authorities wide powers.

President Abdurrahman 'Gus Dur' Wahid, struggling to keep this multi-ethnic country intact, has promised greater autonomy for the region to be implemented this year.

Abu Sofyan Dawud, a rebel leader in North Aceh, expressed hope yesterday that the truce would be extended. "People have been suffering because of the violence. Therefore we agree for any extension of the cease-fire," Dawud was quoted by AP as saying.

He claimed that at least 65 GAM members had been killed by ecurity forces since the signing of the peace pact. The 65 men, 15 of them top officers, had been killed by Indonesian soldiers in skirmishes over the past three months, Dawud said.

"The number of casualties were caused by the Indonesian military and police whose actions clearly violated the humanitarian pause in Aceh by conducting search operations and attacks on the GAM headquarters." "We have never initiated attacks against the military and police," he told AFP from North Aceh.

Dawud said the latest victim, Rusli Ismail, one of his top aides, was shot dead by a joint military and police unit in Paya Bakong village in Matangkuli, North Aceh, on Monday. He said Ismail was unarmed and receiving medical treatment in the village when ambushed by troops.

North Aceh Police Chief Superintendent Abadan Bangko told AFP the victim had fired the first shot against police and that officers had later found a home-made hand gun with eight remaining bullets on the victim.

GAM has waged a 25-year battle to separate the oil-and natural gas-rich region from the rest of Indonesia. At least 5,000 people have been killed in the past decade in the staunchly Muslim province with 4.1 million population on the northern tip of Sumatra.