Geneva – Indonesian officials and rebel leaders from Aceh have agreed to extend their ceasefire indefinitely and to hold broad political dialogue to end the conflict in the separatist province.
In a joint statement issued on Friday, both parties also pledged to expand confidence-building contacts between their forces, following the recent first meeting of their field commanders and the establishment of a hot line to prevent violent incidents.
The statement was issued after two-day peace talks. The discussion also coincided with Thursday's expiration of their latest one-month ceasefire.
According to the statement issued by the government and the rebel Free Aceh Movement (GAM), the new security arrangements will continue indefinitely with periodic reviews.
Mr Hassan Wirajuda, head of political affairs at the Foreign Ministry who led Jakarta's delegation, said: "The next step is an all-inclusive political dialogue in Aceh itself, in which GAM would be participating."
There was no immediate comment from the GAM delegation, led by Tengku Ilyas Mohamad Abe and Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba, or from the GAM leadership based in Stockholm, Sweden.
The statement said both government and rebel forces had been "greatly encouraged" by the first-ever meeting of field commanders in Banda Aceh on February 9 and 10, which resulted in the setting up of a hot line, via satellite phones, for contact to prevent violence.
The commander-to-commander meetings are being expanded to more districts and will include both Indonesian police and armed forces as well as rebel operational commanders.
Analysts following the secretive talks said both parties were slowly turning to political rather than military means to halt the bloodshed and to reach a long-term peaceful solution.
But the analysts saw no quick solution to the rebels' long-running quest for independence for Aceh's four million inhabitants. Jakarta has refused to give independence to the staunchly Islamic and resource-rich Aceh, but has offered it wide-ranging control over its own affairs.