Optimism prevailed as Jakarta and Aceh separatists sat down for a third day of peace talks in Helsinki, but on the ground war-weary Acehnese expressed less confidence in the negotiations as the Indonesian military sent in more troops to hunt down rebels.
"The atmosphere is positive," Maria-Elena Cowell, a spokeswoman for the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) foundation organizing the talks, told AFP after the day's talks drew to an end.
Her comments echoed upbeat statements on Wednesday from both delegations claiming they had reached a "point of understanding".
The expressed optimism in Helsinki stood however in stark contrast to continued fighting on the ground in Aceh and to the sentiments of ordinary Acehnese, disillusioned by nearly 30 years of fighting and exhausted from the devastating effects of last December's tsunami on the region.
"If they really want to struggle for the Acehnese they must prove it by creating peace in Aceh," said 32-year-old Fauziah, one of almost half a million people who lost their homes in the tsunami disaster in which 126,000 people in the province died.
"Both sides must be honest. They made agreements in the past but the fighting continues because they are not honest.
Now that Aceh has been hit by the tsunami, they have to think about the Acehnese who are suffering," agreed Muhammed, 40, who also lost his home to the tsunami.
Aceh has been the battleground between government and armed rebels since 1976 when the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) launched its campaign for independence, angered by what it said was Jakarta's exploitation of the province's resources.
When government and GAM delegations met for a first round of Helsinki talks in January it was the first time they had stood face-to-face since May 2003, when Jakarta declared martial law and launched a major military offensive in the province.
The renewed efforts to reach a peaceful solution were prompted by a need for international aid to reach the province worst hit by the December 26 tsunamis.
The effects of that catastrophe on the region could spur the delegations to push harder for peace, according to experts.
"Due to the tsunami, neither party wants to lose the hearts and minds of the Aceh people. They can't afford to do so now," said the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue mediation advisor David Gorman, who brokered peace talks between Jakarta and the rebels from 2000 and 2003.
"There is a better chance now than ever before of them finding a solution," he said in a telephone interview with AFP on Wednesday.
The situation on the ground in Aceh however appeared to go in the opposite direction, as the Indonesian military, which has admitted to killing more than 260 rebels since the tsunami, announced that it would send another 3,000 troops into the province.
"There is quite some hostility for [the] peace process from the military and sections of parliament," London-based director of the Human Rights Campaign group Liem Soei Liong told AFP.
"The peace process will remain extremely fragile unless it broadens to Aceh and Indonesian society as an all-inclusive dialogue, otherwise there can be sabotage by the military," he added.
During the first day of talks on Tuesday, GAM asked Jakarta to call a ceasefire, but Indonesian officials both at home and in Helsinki merely shrugged off the suggestion, thus possibly undermining the peace efforts.
"Our view is that the termination of the conflict should really be permanent. A ceasefire is not permanent," Security Minister Widodo Adisucipto told journalists in Jakarta.
Rufriadi, a rights activist and lawyer in Aceh, disagreed. "The third round of talks should at least result in a ceasefire, even if both sides can't reach an agreement. So far violence is still being committed by both sides. A ceasefire would allow the peace process to continue," he said.
The talks are scheduled to wrap up on Sunday and like two previous rounds in January and February are being mediated by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari.
The two parties have so far this round discussed economic arrangements and the reintegration of GAM members into Acehnese society once a peace is reached, as well as how limited autonomy could be implemented in the region, according to CMI's Cowell.