SINGAPORE, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Indonesian President Susilo Yudhoyono Wednesday called on Aceh separatists to end the conflict in the tsunami-devastated province and seek a permanent peace.
"The time for peace -- real peace, permanent peace -- is now," Yudhoyono said at a lecture in Singapore, organized by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Peaceful conditions are needed to carry out Aceh's rehabilitation and reconstruction, he said, adding that after the tsunami, the Acehnese are simply not interested in conflict.
"The real cause of the Acehnese is survival, reconstruction and healing," he said.
"Those who continue to espouse conflict represent not the interest of the Acehnese but only themselves. They will be sidelined by the people of Aceh," he warned.
Indonesia and leaders of the Free Aceh Movement agreed to hold talks next week in Helsinki aimed at ending three decades of violence and securing a lasting peace.
Jakarta is offering limited autonomy for the province of 4 million people, while the rebel group has been seeking independence.
