Malaysia has agreed to join the International Monitoring Team to oversee peace in Aceh province, Indonesia, a senior Malaysian official said on Saturday.

Malaysia will send some 30 observers to join the team in Aceh led by the European Union, Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said at Kota Tinggi in the state of Johor.

The Malaysians would carry on civilian missions, such as monitoring the handover of arms, the minister was quoted as saying by local media. Besides Malaysia, Indonesia had also invited peacekeepers from several other Southeast Asian countries to join the team, he said.

After years of fighting which claimed thousands of lives in resource rich Aceh in northern Sumatra, the Indonesian government and separatist rebels in Aceh province finally reached a peace accord through negotiations in Helsinki, Finland. Under the treaty,Indonesia will give autonomy to Aceh while Aceh will drop its aim of splitting from the republic.

Local media said that the two sides are scheduled to sign the peace treaty in Helsinki on Aug. 15.

Source: Xinhua