Manila moves to defuse rift with RI<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Fidel Ramos is sending a special envoy
\nto Indonesia to defuse a diplomatic rift caused by Manila's plan
\nto host a conference on East Timor later this month.<\/p>\n
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas announced yesterday
\nthat a special envoy from the Philippines' president will arrive
\non Monday to discuss the matter to him.<\/p>\n
The controversial conference is to take place at the state-run
\nPhilippines University from May 31 to June 2.<\/p>\n
It is being organized by the National Council for Maubere
\nResistance, a parent organization that consists of several East
\nTimor separatist movements, including the Fretilin.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has reacted strongly against the proposed conference
\nbeing held within the borders of one of its closest allies and
\nneighbors. The two countries are also fellow founders of the
\nAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which also groups
\nThailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.<\/p>\n
The foreign ministry's director of information, Irawan Abidin,
\ntold The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that the government was
\nunhappy with the holding of the conference.<\/p>\n
"We are deeply concerned at it," he said, inferring that the
\nsituation could reflect on the close ties between the two
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
Efforts to suppress any deterioration of bilateral ties were
\nimmediately taken upon knowledge of the conference schedule.<\/p>\n
Philippine Vice President Joseph Estrada and Foreign Secretary
\nRoberto Romulo, who were in South Africa to attend the
\npresidential inauguration, promptly met with Alatas, who was also
\nin attendance on behalf of President Soeharto.<\/p>\n
During the meeting Estrada refuted any government involvement.<\/p>\n
In Manila, President Ramos himself reiterated Manila's long-
\nstanding position of acknowledging East Timor as an integrated
\npart of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
He also expressed his confidence that relations between the
\ntwo countries could withstand this little "irritation."<\/p>\n
Alatas said yesterday he would wait until Monday's meeting
\nwith the Philippine envoy before commenting further on the
\nmatter.<\/p>\n
The conference organizers themselves have suffered setbacks in
\nthe last couple of days with the pullout of key speakers Danielle
\nMitterrand, the wife of France's President, Francois Mitterrand,
\nand Portugal's first lady, Maria Barrosa.<\/p>\n
Neither Maria Barrosa nor Danielle Mitterrand, a well-known
\ncrusader for human rights, have given specific reasons for their
\ncancellations.<\/p>\n
Coincidentally, the cancellation of Mrs. Mitterrand comes on
\nthe heels of a US$17 million defense contract awarded by
\nIndonesia to French company GIAT over British rival Royal
\nOrdinance.<\/p>\n
Portugal<\/p>\n
Upon his arrival from South Africa yesterday, Alatas strongly
\nvoiced his resentment at the reception faced by a group of East
\nTimorese Indonesians who are on a holy pilgrimage to Portugal.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's ambassador-at-large for East Timor Affairs,
\nFransicus Lopez da Cruz, and his entourage of 41 Roman Catholic
\npilgrims were met by riotous demonstrators upon their arrival in
\nLisbon on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The pilgrims were pelted with eggs and called "traitors" by
\nthe protesters, who were all wearing black T-shirts.<\/p>\n
"I am stunned that these actions could not be prevented by the
\nlocal police," Alatas said.<\/p>\n
The reception in Lisbon was in stark contrast to the warm
\nwelcome a group of 24 Portuguese East Timorese got when they made
\na "family visit" to Indonesia last month.<\/p>\n
Exchanges of visits between the two countries were agreed upon
\nas part of the Confidence Building Measures in the talks
\nsponsored by UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali in New
\nYork last September.<\/p>\n
Alatas went on to warn that such provocation would seriously
\nthreaten the Confidence Building Measures.<\/p>\n
Indonesia will think twice before continuing the measures,
\nAlatas warned. (mds)<\/p>",
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