The Indonesian government signed a peace accord with separatist rebels in the tsunami-hit province of Aceh today, sparking hopes of an end to a 30-year conflict.
The signing ceremony in Helsinki with leaders of the Free Aceh Movement, known as Gam, followed seven months of talks mediated by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari. He had urged the two sides to reconcile their differences to help international aid reach the region, which was devastated by last year's huge waves.
The accord, which became possible after Gam agreed to disarm and to renounce a demand for full independence, will be overseen by monitors from the European Union and south-east Asian countries.
After the tsunami, which killed 130,000 people in Aceh alone, aid workers poured into the formerly closed province, leading to international pressure on Jakarta to halt the violence.
A previous truce ended after only six months in 2003, when the Indonesian army expelled foreign observers, declared martial law, arrested rebel negotiators and mounted an offensive in which more than 3,000 people died.
Hostilities in the area broke out in 1976. Although many Acehnese wanted an end to the bloodshed, there was general support for independence because of abuses. Human rights groups accuse Indonesia's army of executions, disappearances, torture and rapes.
Thousands of people gathered at the largest mosque in Aceh to witness the televised signing of the agreement to end a civil war that has claimed 15,000 lives. Aceh, once an independent sultanate, was invaded in 1870 by the Dutch, who attached it to their East Indies colony, which gained independence as Indonesia in 1949.
Pieter Feith, the Dutch diplomat who will head the EU's monitoring activities in Aceh, expressed optimism that the new agreement would be more solid than the 2003 truce that quickly collapsed.
"We don't have a guarantee that all of this will be smooth riding," he told reporters in Brussels. "But we have assurances, from the highest levels. And I have spoken really through the whole chain of command down to local commanders in Aceh."
Mr Feith, who will head 200 to 250 monitors, said last year's tsunami had triggered a conciliatory mood in both the rebels and the government in Jakarta.
When the two sides met in Helsinki last month, both made major concessions. The rebels gave up their long-held demand for independence and agreed to hand in their weapons. In return, the government offered them amnesty, economic compensation and - most importantly - the right to political representation.
Besides getting its own flag and hymn, Aceh will hold elections in 2006 and 2009 to chose a regional head and a legislature. Gam members will be eligible for those posts.
Another contentious issue, the province's vast mineral wealth, was also settled: 70% of the current and future revenues from Aceh's natural resources, including oil and gas, will go to the local government.
As part of the accord, Indonesia's military will cut the number of soldiers in the region from 35,000 to 14,700, and police from 15,000 to 9,100.
Speaking from his jungle hideout, Sofyan Dawood, a rebel spokesman, said he was happy with the deal.
"The most important thing now is that the Indonesian government honours the agreement," he said. "I hope they don't have any hidden agendas."