Aceh peace deal 'will help reconstruction'<\/p>\n
INDONESIA: Lasting peace between separatist rebels and Indonesian
\ntroops in Aceh is essential to reconstruction efforts in the
\nregion worst affected by the Asian tsunami, a European Parliament
\nmember said on Tuesday after touring the province.<\/p>\n
Next month both sides are scheduled to sign a peace deal in
\nFinland to formally end the 29-year-old war in the oil and gas-
\nrich province that has killed 15,000 people.<\/p>\n
Moves to negotiate the truce quickened after the Dec. 26
\ntsunami, which killed more than 130,000 people in Aceh and
\ndestroyed thousands of coastal villages.<\/p>\n
"We believe that moving forward with the peace process is also
\nessential for the reconstruction process," said European
\nParliament member Anna Maria Gomez.<\/p>\n
The European Union has been invited to monitor the peace
\naccord.<\/p>\n
Gomez, a socialist from Portugal, made the remarks in Jakarta
\nafter touring Aceh with four colleagues.<\/p>\n
After the tsunami, foreign aid workers poured into the
\nformerly closed province, leading to international pressure --
\nparticularly from the United States and the EU -- on Jakarta to
\nhalt the violence. -- AP<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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