Banda Aceh – Indonesia's military and separatist rebels in Aceh have traded charges over reports of six killings in the province ahead of expected talks next week aimed at saving a floundering peace agreement.

The military accused Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels of shooting and killing three civilians, including a five-year-old child, on Friday in the resource-rich province 1,700 km northwest of Jakarta. GAM spokesman Tgk Anwar Husein denied the accusation. "The civilians were killed by the Indonesian troops who where trying to chase us," he told Reuters.

Separately military spokesman Edi Fernandi said government forces had killed three GAM members when they attacked Indonesian positions. GAM claimed the military started the fighting. "The troops suddenly fired on us, and we returned fire in self defence," Husein said.

Both the government and GAM have agreed in principle to meet next week, probably on April 25, to try to rescue a peace deal reached in December designed to end the simmering rebellion in the province that has taken thousands of lives, mostly civilian.

The agreement initially sharply reduced the level of violence, but in recent weeks has looked increasingly shaky.