Helsinki, Finland ? The Indonesian government and separatist Aceh rebels reached a tentative agreement Saturday to end one of the world’s longest-running wars, negotiators from both sides said.

The draft accord, which hinged on an agreement to allow the separatist Free Aceh Movement to form its own political party, will have to be approved by the Indonesian government before the two sides can initial it.

“We have worked out a mutually acceptable form of words on political parties” in the draft accord, said Damien Kingsbury, an Australian academic who is part of the Acehnese delegation at talks in the Finnish capital. “This should in principle finalize the negotiations.”

Hamid Awaluddin, Indonesia’s minister of justice, who is leading the government delegation at the talks, declined to disclose details about the draft, saying it would be finalized today.

“Thank God, finally we had sort of an understanding together,” he said.

The two sides are scheduled to meet again in Helsinki in mid-August to formally sign the agreement ending the war.

The rebels have agreed to set aside their demand for independence but insist the government give them the right to form a local political party in Aceh, an oil- and gas-rich province at the tip of Sumatra island that has been wracked by a separatist conflict since 1976 and was ravaged by the Asian tsunami on Dec. 26.