Jakarta – Defense Minister Matori Abdul Djalil rejected here on Friday the idea of including foreign observers in a team that would monitor the implementation of a possible peace agreement between the government and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Aceh.

"There is no way we will agree to have foreign observers in the monitoring team. This [monitoring the observance of a peace agreement] is our internal affair," Matori was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.

Earlier, chairman of the Aceh chapter of the Muhammadiyah Muslim organization Imam Suja' said in Banda Aceh that the Aceh monitoring team might comprise 150 men from the Indonesian military and police, GAM's security wing as well as 50 foreign officers.

According to Matori, should the Indonesian government and GAM agree to the formation of a monitoring team in the peace accord, the team need not include any foreign element.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said he had no objections to foreign participation in a peace monitoring team in Aceh. "By all means [go ahead]," he said.