Visiting German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said during a stop here on his way to Aceh on Friday that he hoped the December 26 disaster could help bring an end to the conflict which has raged for nearly three decades.

"I want to express our hope that in the end there will be a successful result in the interest of the people of Aceh and for the Indonesian people," he said after talks with Malalysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Fischer, who is on a nine-day tour of Southeast Asia and Australia, noted that he had conveyed the same message during talks last month in Jakarta with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Najib, who visited Aceh this week, said that while Malaysia did not want to interfere in the internal affairs of Indonesia, it hoped for a peaceful settlement in Aceh.

"Certainly both sides should take advantage of the aftermath of the tsunami to face the new realities and hopefully both sides will realize the importance of working out a political solution," he said.

"I know the Indonesian government is trying its level best to find a political solution and I hope the people from GAM (the Free Aceh Movement rebel group) will come to terms and accept a political settlement."

The killer tsunami caused widespread destruction in Aceh, wiping out many coastal villages and leaving more than 231,000 people dead or missing and some 400,000 homeless.

Since 1976, the Free Aceh Movement has fought for the independence of the province in a conflict that has claimed more than 12,000 lives.

The Indonesian government and GAM held in January in Finland the first peace talks since a truce between them broke down in May 2003 and the Indonesian army launched an offensive to end the insurgency.

Germany and Malaysia have cooperated on a number of relief projects in Aceh since the giant ocean surges struck.

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