Jakarta, rebels strike Aceh peace accord

At the end of a meeting in Finland on Sunday, the two sides agreed a draft deal to end the 29-year insurgency.

The government and rebels from the Free Aceh Movement (Gam) had agreed to sign the truce at a ceremony on 15 August.

But questions remain over the issue of political representation, which has proved a sticking point throughout.

During talks earlier in the week Gam abandoned its demand for Acehnese independence in return for a certain amount of autonomy and greater access to the region's rich natural resources, and both sides agreed to establish an Aceh monitoring mission, overseen by experts from European Union and other Asian countries.

But the main difficulty has been the rebels' request for participation in local Acehnese politics.

It appears the government may have acquiesced to this demand, but is still unclear whether the accord will allow Gam to form its own Aceh-based party - and if so, when.

"A local party would need a change in the law, that would need the agreement of the parliament," Kalla told reporters in Jakarta on Sunday.

"The government will try as hard as it can to create the political and legal situation in support of that."

Under current legislation, every political party in Indonesia must have representation in at least half of the country's 33 provinces, and have its headquarters in Jakarta.