ACEH

Sidney Morning Herald: Crushing Aceh rebels may take years, says chief
The Indonesian military has said its offensive against rebels in the north-western province of Aceh, supposed to last six months, will last much longer, perhaps 10 years.

The statement by the military's chief, General Endriartono Sutarto, to Indonesian reporters on Sunday followed the United States' first public rebuke of Indonesia over the war. A Bush Administration official urged President Megawati Soekarnoputri to end the nearly 30-year-old conflict.

But Washington's diplomacy - including meetings between a National Security Council official, Karen Brooks, and Ms Megawati, as well as one with General Sutarto - appears to have had little effect on the military's conduct in Aceh.