Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – No special preparations are being made for the return of several exiled Free Aceh Movement (GAM) leaders to the province, the group's senior representative at the Aceh Monitoring Mission said Tuesday.

The GAM leaders, who are scheduled to arrive Wednesday aboard a Lion Air flight, will be welcomed by local GAM members in a modest ceremony at the group's office in Banda Aceh, Irwandi Yusuf said.

He also said no special security preparations were planned. "We only asked the police to escort the leaders, and some former GAM members will provide them any assistance they require," Irwandi said.

Among the officials expected to arrive in Banda Aceh on Wednesday are GAM Prime Minister Malik Mahmud, Health Minister Zaini Abdullah and spokesman Bakhtiar Abdullah.

That the GAM leaders are returning to Aceh after living in exile in Sweden for 30 years is a sign of the group's sincere desire to see the peace deal it signed with the Indonesian government succeed, peace activist Rufriadi said Tuesday.

"We should see their return as an expression of their commitment to peace," he said.

Soon after signing a peace agreement in Helsinki with the Indonesian government Aug. 15 last year, GAM leaders in Sweden dispatched Bakhtiar and deputy spokesman Munawar Liza Zain to Aceh.

That visit was followed by one involving several GAM leaders in Malaysia, Nur Djuli and Nurdin A.R., who were also members of the negotiating team for the Helsinki peace agreement.

Bakhtiar said earlier that during the upcoming visit, GAM Prime Minister Malik would help set up a political party from the newly established Free Aceh Movement Council, also known as Majelis GAM.

Several candidates have been proposed to lead the party, but Bakhtiar refused to go into detail. "It is about time GAM leaders met the people of Aceh after years of living in exile," Bakhtiar said from his base in Stockholm.