"The final relocation of non-organic military forces out of Aceh before the end of the year is an important step in the peace process," Solana said in a statement.

"I am very satisfied with the strong political commitment of both parties to bring the process forward and I believe that we are now on an irreversible path towards sustainable peace in Aceh," he added.

Indonesia pulled its final contingent of non-local troops out of Aceh on Thursday, fulfilling a key pledge made in an historic peace accord between separatist guerrillas and the government.

The pact signed in August in Helsinki was aimed at ending nearly three decades of bloodshed that led to some 15,000 deaths, mostly civilians.

Implementation of the pact, which is being overseen by 240 monitors from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union, has so far exceeded the expectations of the most optimistic observers.

It was hammered out in the wake of the December 2004 tsunami, which killed some 168,000 Acehnese and forced both sides to take stock of their priorities.

Indonesia's Vice President Yusuf Kalla said on Friday that the foreign monitors overseeing the implementation of a peace pact would extend their mission by up to six more months after their original mandate expires in March.

In Brussels, an EU official said that European foreign ministers had yet to consider the question of extending the mission.

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