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No Breakthroughs in Talks on Indonesia's Aceh Province VOA News 3 Feb 2002 23:39 UTC 
Negotiators from the Indonesian government and separatist rebels in Aceh province have wrapped up two days of talks in Geneva.
No breakthroughs were reported. But a spokesman for the rebel Free Aceh Movement described the Geneva talks as "good" and said the two sides would meet again. No date was announced for the next round of talks.
Prospects for progress have been clouded by fresh violence in Aceh, including the killing last month of rebel military commander Abdullah Syafei. And the Geneva talks were seen as being largely aimed at restoring confidence between the two sides.
The Aceh peace process began in 2000 under then-Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, but current President Megawati Sukarnoputri has taken a tougher line against the rebels as part of an effort to keep her sprawling nation together.
Jakarta has offered greater autonomy to Aceh, but that has not ended calls in the resource-rich province for full independence.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.
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