The Secretary-General is encouraged by the orderly conduct of the 11 December 2006 local elections in Indonesia's Aceh province. This historic balloting marks the first such electoral exercise pursuant to the peace agreement signed in Helsinki last year between the Government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). The Secretary-General calls on all parties to respect the results of these elections in order to help consolidate the peace process, which aims to build a secure and prosperous Aceh within a united and democratic Indonesia.