Banda Aceh – Separatist rebels in tsumami-ravaged Aceh province said Tuesday they are prepared to lay down their weapons if a peace agreement is reached this week in Finland.

"We will follow any order that comes from our leaders," Teungku Muharram, a rebel field commander for the Free Aceh Movement, told The Associated Press from his jungle hideout.

Peace talks that open Tuesday in Helsinki – the fifth and final round since the Dec. 26 tsunami – are seen as the best chance in years to end fighting that has killed nearly 15,000 people since 1976.

Analysts warn, however, that Indonesia's refusal to allow separatists a political role threatens to derail the process.

Muharram, who would not say how many troops he commands, said Tuesday the rebels would fight until a deal was reached. "Otherwise we will die," he said in a telephone interview, noting that his men continue to face attacks by the Indonesian military.

Though people in Aceh province said they wanted to see an end to separatist fighting, many were skeptical Tuesday that talks in Finland would result in a lasting peace. Several initiatives to end the fighting in recent years have collapsed.