Separatist rebels in Indonesia's Aceh said they have begun disarming as part of a peace deal but warned that the military must relocate its troops if the process is to continue.
Some weapons were stored at a beach area in East Aceh on Sunday, said the Free Aceh Movement's (GAM) military chief Muzakkir Manaf.
He said this showed GAM's willingness to comply with the demilitarisation phase of the accord reached on December 9 with the Indonesian government.
But any future disarmament "will heavily depend on the commitment of the Indonesian military and police to pull out troops from areas which previously have been agreed" by both sides, Manaf said Tuesday.
Aceh, which has witnessed 26 years of bloody violence, began the first day of a five-month demilitarisation phase on Sunday.
During this period GAM should start placing weapons at secret designated sites while the army relocates its forces and changes its role "from a strike force to a defensive force".
"GAM across Aceh is now ready to store their weapons. But is Indonesia also ready to relocate troops and reformulate [the role of police paramilitary] Brimob troops as stipulated in the Geneva peace deal?" Manaf said.
The Libyan-trained GAM leader said he had not received instructions from the Sweden-based GAM supreme commander Hasan Tiro to store all weapons.
"What exists now is the gradual storing of weapons by GAM rebels," he told reporters in North Aceh's main town of Lhokseumawe.
The demilitarisation phase was one of the most difficult issues during the Geneva peace negotiations. GAM leaders feared the process could leave them defenceless against troops and police who outnumber them seven-to-one in the province at the tip of Sumatra island.
Jakarta, in one of several key concessions, allowed the GAM to maintain its arms dumps secret from the military.
The Henry Dunant Centre, which helped mediate the peace deal, is informed of the location of the arms dumps. It has the right to conduct "no notice" inspections of them to verify that GAM is complying with the agreement.
Although each side has complained of numerous ceasefire violations since December, the two months have seen a dramatic decline in deaths.