Vice President Says Aceh Pact Requires New Law

Indonesia’s vice president said parliament would have to change the law to allow rebels in Aceh province to form their own political party -- a key part of a peace deal negotiated over the weekend.

The government and rebels announced Sunday that they would sign a formal pact Aug. 15 to end the province’s 29-year insurgency, but Jusuf Kalla’s remarks indicated that the political-party issue remained a potential stumbling block.

Kalla’s Golkar party is the largest bloc in parliament, and would probably support a move to change the law. However, nationalist and military factions, which remain deeply suspicious of the rebels, may resist.