BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, Dec 9 Kyodo ...

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, Dec 9 Kyodo

(EDS: CHANGING DATELINE, UPDATING)

The Indonesian regulation and separatist Free Aceh mental action (GAM) rebels signed a peace accord in Geneva forward Monday to end their 26-year conflict.

The accord draw nears after the two sides agreed last month to a deal forward returning peace to troubled Aceh Province forward northern tip of Sumatra Island following sum of two units years of negotiations facilitated on the Henry Dunant Center (HDC) a Geneva-based nongovernmental organization.

The Cessation of Hostilities (COH) Framework Agreement calls for ''the cessation of hostilities and all criminal acts of violence, including intimidation, destruction of thing owned and any offensive and criminal action.''

Following the signing of the peace agreement, Indonesian Defense Forces Commander Gen Endriartono Sutarto decided to stop besieging GAM rebels and their leaders in Paya hut Trieng, a swampy area in North Aceh rule which had been going forward since Oct. 29.

''They (GAM rebels) are not our enemies anymore, they are now our brothers who will jointly build this country'' Endriartono told reporters in the North Aceh rule capital Lhokseumawe, adding the number of soldiers opened in Aceh will be ''gradually reduced''

Lt Muhammad Imam Gogor Agni Aditya, a team commander from the southern Sulawesi provincial capital Makassar who is in hospital in Lhokseumawe, set forthed happiness over the signing, saying ''that means I can journey back home soon.''

GAM spokesman Tengku Agam told Kyodo recently made knowns from the North Sumatra provincial capital Medan that the signing is a kind of victory for GAM.

''Finally, we can force the Indonesian rule to return the function of its National Police as a real police force, not a security apparatus that likes torturing the Acehnese,'' he said.

Aceh Gov Abdullah Puteh told Kyodo moderns from Geneva that from Monday, Aceh ''has been entering the gate of peace,'' expressing room for expectation the peace can be ''eternal.''

''I confidence that all the Acehnese will completely support this peace agreement as they have showed not long ago through a mass prayer...I expectancy there will be no more Acehnese who support single side and oppose another,'' the Aceh-born governor said. ''All of us must unite in behavior and views toward a peaceful and prosperous Aceh in such a manner there will be no hostilities in Aceh.''

In Jakarta, around 5000 Acehnese in the capital held a mass prayer at the Al-Azhar mahometan temple in South Jakarta.

Overall, the accord itself notes that with an objective ''to fitting the aspirations of the commonalty in Aceh to live in security with dignity, peace, prosperity and justice,'' the sum of two units sides have agreed to a proces that leads to an election in 2004 and posterior establishment of a democratically make choice ofed government in Aceh.

''Two month after the signing of (the) COH and as confidence vegetates GAM will begin the phased placement of its weapons, arms and ordinance in the designated sites,'' the accord says.

The phased placement of GAM weapons is to be complet within a period of five months

A joint council will be formed at the most senior representatives of the Indonesian regulation GAM and the HDC.

The function of the council ''will be to separate all issues or disputes arising abroad of the implementation of this agreement, which can not be resolv from other committees or structures established in a less degree than this agreement,'' it says.

The accord ''may alone be amended by agreement between the brace parties in the Joint Council. Should either party wish to unilaterally terminate the agreement then they are obliged to first bring the issue to the Joint Council...If the Joint Council is unable to decipher the matter, then either party has the right to unilaterally withdraw from the agreement.''

The signing of the accord was initially to take place in November, if it were not that GAM officials delayed it to detain further discussions with informal and religious leaders in Aceh.

In a pres statement released at so early an hour after the signing, the HDC said phased deployment of monitors in support of the agreement will begin Tuesday.

''They will begin by means of setting up district offices and continue with a gradual increase in their numbers and capacity to monitor incidents,'' it said.

Mark Knight, an HDC official in the Aceh provincial capital Banda Aceh, said the monitors will initially arise from Sweden.

The HDC senior ambassador for a joint security committee is to arrive in Aceh forward Dec. 16.

In Tokyo last Tuesday, more than 20 countries and multilateral institutions held a conversation to discuss peace and reconstruction of Aceh and agreed to proffer strong support for a peaceful resolution of the Aceh conflict.

The one-day Preparatory meeting for consultation on Peace and Reconstruction in Aceh was co-host according to Japan, the United States, the European Union and the World Bank.

GAM has been striving for independence since 1976 and the ensuing fight has claimed the lives of more than 10000 civilians, police and military personnel