European Union led peace monitors will extend their mission in Indonesia's strife-torn Aceh province until the completion of elections in December, the head of the monitoring team said Friday 11 August.

The monitors, from several European and South-east Asian countries, have been in-country since the Jakarta government and separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) signed a peace agreement one year ago.

'The decision has now been taken to extend to another period at the request of the president of Indonesia (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono),' said Pieter Feith of Holland, the head of the Aceh Monitoring Mission, during a panel discussion on the peace process.
The extension, the third since August 2005, is expected to be formally endorsed by the E.U. council in Brussels next month.

The Jakarta government says the historic elections will be held no later than December 15. It will be the first time ever that Aceh's residents will vote directly for governor, and they will also select district chiefs and mayors.

The oil-and-gas-rich province, which lies on the northern tip of Sumatra, was witnessed to a 29-year protracted civil war between the Indonesian military and GAM. More than 10,000 people, most civilians, were killed during the conflict.

A series of ceasefires and peace deals in 2000 and 2003 collapsed amid GAM's continued demand that Aceh be granted independence. After the 2004 Asian Tsunami killed some 177,000 people in Aceh and destroyed dozens of villages, however, the sides quickly resumed peace talks, brokered by Finland, and signed an agreement in Helsinki on August 15, 2005.

The rebels agreed to accept Indonesian sovereignty and disarm in exchange for amnesty and being allowed to form a provincial-based political party and contest future elections. Last month, the Indonesian parliament passed a special autonomy law for Aceh, clearing the way for new polls there.

Observers have been impressed that the peace process had proceeded so smoothly, with no reports of armed clashes.
Billions of dollars in foreign aid have poured into the province for reconstruction and the security situation is at its best since before the conflict began in 1976.

However, GAM remains angry about certain aspects of the autonomy law, including the future role of the feared armed forces in security in Aceh, the division of revenues from oil and gas production, as well as a clause allowing Shariah law to be implemented.
Feith disputed statements made Thursday by a GAM representative that the autonomy law was an injustice to Aceh's people, and urged the ex-separatists to transform from a guerrilla force into a political movement so they can contest the upcoming elections.

'It sometimes requires different ... skills to transform into a political movement,' he said. 'We've seen this throughout history.'
Feith noted that the Indonesian government had pledged to make changes to the autonomy law that conflict with the peace agreement, but also urged GAM to seek redress through the parliamentary process rather than through provocative statements about resuming armed struggle.