Separatist rebels in Indonesia's northern Aceh province apparently have reversed their decision to boycott overseas peace talks with Indonesian officials.

The Geneva-based group sponsoring the talks (the Henry Dunant Center for Humanitarian Dialogue) says a delegation from the rebel Free Aceh Movement will meet with Indonesian government negotiators in that Swiss city on Saturday and Sunday.

The rebels earlier announced they would not attend the talks because they were mourning the death of their military commander Abdullah Syafei, who was killed in a battle with government troops last week. The rebels also were still upset about the arrest last year of six of their negotiators while they were attending peace talks in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh. All but one were later freed.

Even as the two sides agreed to meet this weekend, there was word of fresh violence in Aceh. Eight more people were reported killed in the troubled province over the past two days. Five of them died when Indonesian troops raided a suspected rebel camp in southern Aceh.

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 AP and AFP.

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