East Timor autonomy draft reviewed<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government will review its draft on wide-
\nranging autonomy for East Timor, casting doubts over the
\npossibility of United Nations-sponsored talks between Indonesia
\nand Portugal later this week making any progress toward an
\nagreement.<\/p>\n
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said on Monday that the
\ndecision to modify the proposal came during a Cabinet meeting on
\nsecurity and political affairs presided over by President B.J.
\nHabibie at Bina Graha presidential office.<\/p>\n
\"Bapak President and several Cabinet ministers suggested the
\nneed to follow up the discussions on the draft and perhaps make
\ncertain modifications,\" Alatas said.<\/p>\n
However, Alatas refused to unveil details of the
\nmodifications, saying that the concept of broad autonomy was
\ncomplicated and sophisticated.<\/p>\n
Later in the day, Alatas left for New York to resume talks on
\nthe former Portuguese colony with his Portuguese counterpart
\nJaime Gama and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The talks are
\nscheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.<\/p>\n
Alatas said he would discuss the modifications with Annan.
\nIndonesia was expected to present its final draft of the autonomy
\nproposal during the talks.<\/p>\n
During the Cabinet meeting on Monday, Habibie formed a team to
\nreview the draft led by Coordinating Minister for Political
\nAffairs and Security Feisal Tanjung. The team also includes
\nMinister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid, Minister of Justice
\nMuladi, Minister of Security and Defense Gen. Wiranto,
\nMinister\/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung and Alatas.<\/p>\n
Alatas said no deadline had been set for the team to finish
\ntheir review, but said the draft would be ready before April,
\nwhen Portugal is expected to declare whether they approve of the
\noption of wide-ranging autonomy for East Timor.<\/p>\n
\"We hope to finish our joint effort to formulate our first
\noption (of broad autonomy) in time,\" Alatas said.<\/p>\n
Senior officials from Indonesia and Portugal have met several
\ntimes since October last year to negotiate the autonomy option.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government has repeatedly refused a referendum
\nto settle the East Timor case, and has stated that it will grant
\nthe province independence if wide-ranging autonomy is rejected.<\/p>\n
Talks<\/p>\n
Separately in New York, AFP sources said on Sunday that
\nneither the UN or Portugal would endorse Indonesia's autonomy
\noffer, but would seek compromise proposals when talks resume.<\/p>\n
The sources said that the delegations hope to finalize details
\nof a wide-ranging autonomy plan that would be put to the East
\nTimorese in an indirect vote.<\/p>\n
The East Timorese would then elect an assembly for the
\nspecific purpose of deciding whether to accept the Indonesian
\nplan or choose independence, the sources said.<\/p>\n
The latest proposal aims to deal with Portugal's insistence on
\na democratic consultation of the East Timorese, and with
\nIndonesia's rejection of a referendum on the territory's future.<\/p>\n
Jailed East Timorese leader Jose Alexandre \"Xanana\" Gusmao,
\nwho favors a referendum on the territory's future, told U.S.
\nSecretary of State Madeleine Albright on Friday that the election
\nof an assembly could be a workable alternative.<\/p>\n
Gusmao, who is serving a 20-year jail term for armed rebellion
\nbut is now under house arrest, is a key figure in the search for
\na political settlement.<\/p>\n
If an agreement is reached on a consultative mechanism during
\nthe talks in New York, the vote could be held before Indonesia's
\nJune 7 general election, the sources said.<\/p>\n
In Canberra, Nobel Peace laureate Jose Ramos-Horta said there
\nwould be no peace in East Timor while Indonesia's military
\nremained in the troubled territory.<\/p>\n
Ramos-Horta said that as long as groups favoring integration
\nwith Indonesia were being supported by elements of the Indonesian
\nmilitary, there would be little accommodation with pro-
\nindependence groups.<\/p>\n
\"I'm not terribly hopeful that, as long as the Indonesian Army
\nand the Army intelligence do not give up, it is possible for us
\nto find common ground with pro-integration groups,\" Ramos-Horta
\ntold Australian Broadcasting Corporation television on Monday.<\/p>\n
\"When we talk about the pro-integration elements, although
\nthey are a very small fringe group with no social or political
\nbase in the country, the real element behind them is Indonesian
\nArmy intelligence,\" he said. (prb\/amd)<\/p>",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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