Jakarta – The people of Aceh are planning to hold an all-Aceh congress next month to seek a peaceful settlement to the problems of the troubled Indonesian province, organisers said on Wednesday.

"We came to the President to report on the holding of the Congress of Acehnese People for six days from April 22 in Banda Aceh," organising committee chairman Tengku Syamaun Risyad said.

He said he had also asked President Abdurrahman Wahid to help guarantee security before and during the congress – a call which drew an immediate response from Human Rights Minister Hasballah M. Saad. He said the govermemnt would guarantee the safety and security of any Aceh separatist rebels attending the congress.

Tengku Syamaun had made the point earlier that organisers "are of the view that a conducive security atmosphere in Aceh is really needed for the preparation and implementation of the Congress of the People of Aceh".

The April 22 congress, dubbed as Aceh's main "thanksgiving meeting", is expected to involve people from all walks of life, including members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) which has been fighting for an Islamic state in the troubled province since 1976.

"We invited the GAM as an institution; who they want to chose to represent the movement is their own problem," Tengku Syamaun said. President Abdurrahman has no objection to GAM's participation in the congress as long as the group did not carry weapons to the meetings.