The Indonesian military's siege of a guerrilla stronghold in restless province of Aceh is but one of the many signs that temper hopes that a peace deal expected next month will lead to the lasting settlement of the conflict.

For three weeks, about 1,000 Indonesian troops have encircled rebels of the Free Aceh Movement, known by its Indonesian acronym GAM, at a camp in Paya Cot Trieng in northern Aceh. The soldiers have been demanding the guerrillas' surrender.

The siege continued through this week's announcement that a peace agreement to end the 26-year rebellion would be signed by the government of Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and GAM rebels on Dec 9.

The military operation reflects what analysts say is the Indonesian government's far from reconciliatory attitude despite the imminent peace accord, brokered by the Switzerland-based Henry Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.

''The Indonesian government still sticks to the old saying: 'those who want peace should prepare for war'. So they are not really ready for peace,'' said retired Lt Gen Hasnan Habib, an expert on military affairs.

More autonomy

Acehnese leaders and human rights activists have urged the military to end the siege in Paya Cot Trieng, saying this would show the government's commitment to peace in Aceh, the Jakarta Post newspaper reported.

Meanwhile, GAM's military wing is reported to have abandoned its combat positions and withdrawn its weapons. ''Our commander told us to respect what has been decided by our leaders,'' said GAM spokesperson Sofyan Dawod.

The peace plan would grant more autonomy to the four million people of Aceh as well as elections for a provincial legislature and administration in the resource-rich province, located at the northern tip of Sumatra island.

The plan also covers the creation of a joint security committee to investigate violations of the agreement, and the setting up of 25 monitoring teams with equal representation from GAM, the government and the Henry Dunant Centre. There were no such teams in past attempts at peace.

Other issues that need to be worked out are how and when the ceasefire would be carried out and the location of a peace zone, Indonesia's Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.

The Stockholm-based GAM leader Zaini Abdullah said the role of the police in the troubled province and the details of the special autonomy needed to be ironed out.

Crucial issues

Equally crucial and sensitive issues are disarmament and the role of Indonesian military henceforth. ''Would GAM agree to lay down their weapons as (the military) insists on? Would (the military) pull out its troops from Aceh as GAM demands?'' asked the Post in an editorial.

GAM has been fighting for an independent state since 1976, chafing under the Indonesian government's siphoning off of huge revenues from its oil and gas resources and rights violations by the military in its efforts to quell the secessionist movement.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict in Aceh, a former Dutch colony with a long history of defying outside interference. More than 1,200 people have been killed this year, activists say.

But more than two decades after the rebellion began, Abdullah said, the rebels realised that they needed to grasp the opportunity to solve the conflict.

After the announcement of the Dec 9 signing date, the Henry Dunant Centre said: ''We are confident that the government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement are very much committed to reaching an agreement.''

Plan B

But scepticism continues around the peace deal. ''We have had several peace or ceasefire agreements these past four years. None survived as they were broken within days of signing,'' the Post said. ''But there is no reason for people not to hope for peace, or at least for a cessation of hostilities, as miraculous as it sounds.''

Worrisome to many is the fact that even before any accord is signed, Indonesian military officials are suggesting that military operations are in the pipeline should the peace deal not go their way.

Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda says that the government has a 'Plan B' if GAM refuses to sign the accord. If that happens, he said: ''Forget the dialogue. Solve the Aceh problem by force.''

But Hasballah Saad, an Aceh community leader who has taken part in the peace process, says that more urgent than a military blueprint at the moment is wisdom. ''Everybody knows that there should be an alternative for something that does not work. But they don't have to speak it now. That is wisdom,'' he said.

Hasballah, a former human rights minister, says the main point is that the Acehnese yearn for peace. ''They hear this (peace) plan and they are full of emotion. They perform istighasah (prayer for a crucial event to happen) regularly.''

Hearing of Jakarta's 'other plans' if the peace deal does not work fuels doubts about its sincerity and hurts the Acehnese, he says. ''The people of Aceh have suffered too much,'' he added.

Socio-political problem

But Jakarta's tough attitude, hinting that beneath the velvet glove of the peace accord lies the military's iron fist, comes not just from the armed forces but from civilian leaders as well.

''There will be no more agreements with GAM. If they don't stick to the deal, they are troublemakers and security disturbers,'' Vice President Hamzah Haz said.

Gen Habib adds that there is still a failure to understand the nature of Aceh conflict.

''The Aceh problem is a socio-political problem: injustice, oppression, organised crimes against human rights,'' Habib added. ''If the past perpetrators of rights crimes are not dragged into court, if the military presence is not made lighter and if wealth distribution is not fixed, I don't think real peace will come to that land.''

But then again, many say this coming peace deal is the most comprehensive and detailed one so far.

Likewise, the prospect of peace is starting to yield dividends this early: On Dec 3, Japan will host an international donors' conference to support the reconstruction process in Aceh. IPS