In what the government termed a "historic event", members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) handed over Kalashnikov rifles, handguns, a machine gun and a rocket propelled grenade launcher to monitors from Europe and Southeast Asia.

The rebels unpacked the guns from plastic bags, removed the magazines and placed the weapons on the ground before monitors collected them. After an inspection, the monitors cut the guns into three pieces using electric cutters.

GAM official Irwandi Yusuf said 78 firearms were surrendered at the ceremony held under a clear sky in a field in the Aceh provincial capital. It was the first in a series of weapons handovers scheduled until the end of the year.

The disarmament is taking place under a peace agreement signed one month ago in Helsinki by the rebels and the government. In return, the government will withdraw non-local troops and police.

Thursday's ceremony marks the start of work by the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) of about 240 European Union and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) observers created under the agreement, said AMM press officer Alexandre de Bordelius.