|
 BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) - Thousands of people huddling around TV sets in a mosque courtyard clapped and cheered Monday while watching leaders halfway around the globe sign an accord to end three decades of war in tsunami-ravaged Aceh province.
But the crowd was subdued during most of the ceremony. Although many held hopes that lasting peace is at hand, others warned that fear and distrust run deep after the killings of 15,000 people during one of Southeast Asia's longest conflicts.
Rebel leaders immediately voiced concern about the thousands of government soldiers who will remain in the region while separatist fighters are forced to rapidly disarm under the eye of monitors from other Southeast Asian nations and the European Union.
|