Alatas' refusal of Gama's visit endorsed<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A senior East Timorese leader said yesterday
\nthat he backs Foreign Minister Ali Alatas, who has rejected his
\nPortuguese counterpart's demand to meet an East Timorese
\nseparatist leader jailed in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Samuel Alex Petruz said that not allowing Portuguese Foreign
\nMinister Jaime Gama to meet with Jose Alexandre \"Xanana\" Gusmao
\nwas \"appropriate\".<\/p>\n
\"Coming to Indonesia solely to see Xanana would amount to
\ninterference in Indonesia's internal affairs,\" said Alex, deputy
\nchief of the East Timor Provincial legislative council.<\/p>\n
He charged that Gama's motive was to attract foreign mass
\nmedia attention but that it would in no way help solve the East
\nTimor question.<\/p>\n
\"In fact, it could complicate the problem further,\" Alex was
\nquoted by Antara as saying. \"I can't see any advantage to such a
\nvisit.\"<\/p>\n
Gama expressed his desire to visit Xanana during a tripartite
\nmeeting with his Indonesian counterpart in Geneva last week. The
\ntalks, now in their eighth round, have been organized to help
\nfind an internationally acceptable solution to the East Timor
\nissue.<\/p>\n
Xanana has been serving a 20-year sentence in a Jakarta prison
\nsince 1993.<\/p>\n
Gama insisted that Indonesia would eventually have to consent
\nto the release of East Timor's political prisoners if the issue
\nis to be resolved.<\/p>\n
Alatas said Indonesia was ready to consider a visit by Gama,
\nbut only to discuss the future of East Timor and not if it is
\nsolely to meet with Xanana.<\/p>\n
\"Is it proper for a foreign minister to visit a country solely
\nfor the purpose of meeting a prisoner?\" he asked.<\/p>\n
It would have been different if Gama had stated that he wished
\nto visit Jakarta to discuss something with the Indonesian
\ngovernment, and that during the visit he intended to meet Xanana,
\nAlatas said.<\/p>\n
Apart from proposing the meeting, Gama also suggested that
\ntalks between East Timorese on both sides of the issue be held in
\nalternate locations such as Jakarta, Lisbon and possibly Dili,
\nthe capital of East Timor.<\/p>\n
Samuel later added that the tripartite meeting between
\nIndonesia and Portugal sponsored by United Nations Secretary-
\nGeneral Boutros Boutros-Ghali have made some progress.<\/p>\n
Samuel said that Gama's suggestion that talks be held in
\nPortugal could be approved if Portugal can meet Indonesia's
\nconditions.<\/p>\n
\"We had a bad experience when an East Timor delegation visited
\nPortugal several years ago, they were welcomed with brutality,\"
\nSamuel said.<\/p>\n
The ninth round of talks will be held in New York on Dec. 21,
\na month earlier than scheduled. (31)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/alatas-refusal-of-gamas-visit-endorsed-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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