Indonesia seeks peace with Aceh rebels

Vice President Yusuf Kalla said during a visit to the devastated province, where many of Indonesia's 110,000 disaster victims perished, that the government had made tentative contact with the rebel group and wanted a long-term deal.

His comments came a day after exiled leaders of the Free Aceh Rebel movement sent word from Sweden that they wanted to sit down for ceasefire talks to ensure the safety of foreign humanitarian workers in the province.

Meanwhile pressure mounted on Indonesia to scrap a three-month deadline for the withdrawal of foreign military aid missions announced by Kalla. The United Nations said the scale of disaster could require their help for far longer.

Speaking in Banda Aceh, the battered capital of the province at the northern tip of Sumatra island, Kalla told reporters the government was making "efforts" to arrange talks with the rebels to secure a permanent peace.

"It is hard to conclude but the steps towards that are now being built," he said. "Later we will arrange to solve the conflict, smoothly, cleverly and with dignity."

Indonesia struck an accord with the rebels three years ago but the agreement fell apart in May 2003, prompting the government to launch a major military campaign in Aceh.

Since taking office last October, new President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said he wants to explore non-military solutions to nearly three decades of conflict in Aceh, but has so far failed to propose concrete solutions.