Indonesia rejects rebel independence referendum offer

Indonesia today rejected an offer by Acehnese rebels to put their independence claims on hold in return for an eventual referendum on the issue, but mediators were optimistic that coming peace talks could be fruitful.

The two sides held talks over the weekend in the Finnish capital, Helsinki, to consider a formal cease-fire in Aceh province and to reopen a peace process that was brutally broken in 2003 by the Indonesian military.