Jakarta – Indonesia said on Monday more peace talks with Acehnese rebels could be useful, only four days after playing down chances of dialogue by saying the separatists would have to accept a special autonomy package first.

Chief security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Jakarta initiated the plan to resume talks with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in early September but a recent bomb blast in the rebellious province had hampered efforts.

"Dialogue in September could be relevant and useful. We're now waiting to hear from the HDC," Yudhoyono told reporters, refering to the Geneva-based Henry Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HDC) which has mediated talks over the past two years.

The government recently gave GAM until December to abandon its armed struggle in exchange for peace talks and accepting a special autonomy package unveiled last year. That autonomy deal gives the local government more say in running its own affairs.

The rebels have been fighting for independence since 1976 but violence has escalated over the past two years despite a series of talks. The Brussels-based International Crisis Group estimates 2,000 people were killed in the conflict last year.

The last round of talks was held in May but again failed to halt unrest in the province on the northern tip of Sumatra island.

In the latest bout of violence, 13 people were wounded after a bomb exploded in the provincial capital Banda Aceh – 1,700 km northwest of Jakarta – on August 17 when people had gathered to mark Indonesia's independence day.