Fast solution on E. Timor favored<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie dropped another bombshell
\non Thursday. He wants to see an independent East Timor by January
\n1 next year.<\/p>\n
The announcement came nearly two weeks after his shocking
\nmotion to grant the disputed territory independence from
\nIndonesia if the East Timorese and the international community
\nreject Jakarta's offer of wide-ranging autonomy.<\/p>\n
Speaking to a group of business leaders, the President said on
\nThursday he wanted Indonesia to be free from the heavy burden
\nwhich East Timor had become.<\/p>\n
\"If I am asked about the government's proposal, (I would say)
\njust give (East Timor) independence,\" Habibie told executives of
\nthe Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry at Merdeka
\nPalace.<\/p>\n
Later in the day, Habibie reiterated to the National
\nCommission on Human Rights his determination to pursue this
\ncourse of action.<\/p>\n
He emphasized the government would submit a proposal for
\nindependence for East Timor to the People's Consultative Assembly
\n(MPR), which is scheduled to convene its general session at the
\nend of the year.<\/p>\n
\"We do not want to be burdened by the problem of East Timor
\nafter January 1, 2000,\" Habibie told the business leaders.<\/p>\n
His advisor, Dewi Fortuna Anwar, said the process of
\nseparation would likely begin in July next year.<\/p>\n
The government said Indonesia should receive a \"yes\" or \"no\"
\nreply to its proposal of autonomy for the territory by April.
\nMinister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and his Portuguese
\ncounterpart Jaime Gama met in New York last week to discuss the
\nproposal under the auspices of United Nations Secretary-General
\nKofi Annan.<\/p>\n
The meeting failed to achieve significant progress, but a
\nsecond round of negotiations will be held on March 10.<\/p>\n
\"Twenty-two years ago, they knocked at our door and the MPR
\naccepted them, and now if they no longer want (to stay with us),
\nI will return the decision to MPR,\" Habibie stated.<\/p>\n
Habibie's remarks came just one day after jailed East Timorese
\nrebel leader Jose Alexandre \"Xanana\" Gusmao was moved from
\nCipinang Prison in East Jakarta to a special detention house in
\nCentral Jakarta.<\/p>\n
East Timor was legally integrated into Indonesia in 1976
\nthrough law No. 6 of the same year. The integration was upheld by
\nMPR decree No. 6 in 1978.<\/p>\n
The UN, however, never recognized the move and still regards
\nPortugal as the administrative power of its former colony.
\nAustralia is the only western country which recognizes
\nIndonesia's sovereignty over the tiny province.<\/p>\n
However, Australia unexpectedly changed its policy in December
\nlast year. In a letter to Habibie dated Dec. 21, Prime Minister
\nJohn Howard persuaded the President to make a historic decision
\non East Timor, and indicated that Australia would eventually
\nrecognize an independent East Timor.<\/p>\n
Alatas acknowledged Howard's letter was a major influence in
\nHabibie's decision on the separation.<\/p>\n
\"A settlement would enable you to put the issue behind you. It
\nwould make a substantial difference to Indonesia's standing in
\nthe world, with the benefits that it could bring,\" Howard said in
\nhis letter.<\/p>\n
While Habibie's future is still uncertain, he said that he
\nwanted the next government, whoever it is led by, to carry out
\nhis decision on East Timor. \"The next president has to do it,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Later in the afternoon, the President also received five
\nmembers of the rights commission, including secretary-general
\nClementino dos Reis Amaral, Maj. Gen. (ret) Syamsuddin and Police
\nMaj. Gen. (ret) Koesparmono Irsan.<\/p>\n
Prior to the meeting, Amaral chatted with journalists and
\nproudly said the commission was bringing an interesting proposal
\non East Timor to Habibie.<\/p>\n
\"Oh my God, this proposal has become outdated now,\" Amaral
\nsaid after journalists told him of Habibie's Jan. 1 schedule.<\/p>\n
Amaral did not disclose the details of his proposal. After
\nmeeting with Habibie, however, he said the President had agreed
\nto the planned establishment of an independent peacekeeping
\ncommission to prevent chaos and human rights abuses during this
\ncritical period for East Timor.<\/p>\n
The plan is similar to Xanana's suggestion of a peace
\ncommission comprising pro-independent and pro-integration
\nsupporters, members of the Armed Forces, local government
\nofficials and church leaders, aimed at facilitating the search
\nfor a final settlement to the dispute in the province.<\/p>\n
\"The function of this commission is to unite all East Timorese
\npeople,\" Amaral remarked. (prb)<\/p>",
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