The Indonesian government and Aceh rebels met Sunday for last-minute talks before the signing of a peace treaty aimed at ending nearly 30 years of fighting in the oil- and gas-rich province, according to AP. Spurred by the need to get reconstruction aid to the Dec. 26 tsunami-ravaged region, the parties embarked on a seven-month peace process under the mediation of former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, culminating in the accord they are to sign on Monday. In an about-face, rebels of the Free Aceh Movement, or GAM, have agreed to renounce a demand for full independence and will lay down arms. In return, the government has offered them amnesty, land, jobs and political representation. It has said it will also pull out soldiers and police from the province by the year's end.
