Peace talks between the Indonesian government and separatists of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) are to continue in Finland this week under the leadership of former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari.
The third round of the talks at Königstedt Manor in Vantaa is to last six days.
According to Meeri-Maria Jaarva of Ahtisaari's Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) office, items on the agenda are to be the same as in the previous rounds of talks: the content of possible autonomy, security arrangements such as disarmament and the withdrawal of troops, amnesty for the rebels, and economic relations between the province and the central government.
The sides first met in Finland in January this year, a month after Aceh was severely devastated by the tsunami late last year.
GAM rebels have been fighting for independence for Aceh for nearly 30 years. All previous efforts at stopping the fighting have failed. Jaarva sees that the willingness of the two sides to negotiate is positive, but she warns against "excessive hope" for a breakthrough.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yodhoyono said during a visit to New Zealand last week that the central government is seeking a "peaceful and wise" solution to the conflict.
Indonesia says that it will not compromise on the national integrity of the country, and therefore rejects the idea of total independence.
The main sticking point now is what the exact status of Aceh would be under a peace agreement. During the second round of talks in February, GAM put forward a proposal for "self-government". The Indonesian government has offered "special autonomy".
