Measures mulled for after Aug. 30<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas met with
\nvisiting United Nations (UN) special envoy Jamsheed Marker on
\nWednesday to discuss the period after the direct ballot in East
\nTimor, which UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan described as
\ndelicate.<\/p>\n
Briefing journalists after the meeting, which he described as
\n\"preliminary discussions,\" Marker said they discussed the details
\nof what measures should be taken during the period between the
\ndirect vote on Aug. 30 and Indonesia's decision to reject or
\naccept the results of the vote in November.<\/p>\n
\"After the ballot, the situation will be very important, that
\nis why we are discussing the details of what measures need to be
\ntaken,\" said Marker.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, Marker was accompanied by the United
\nNations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) chief Ian Martin.<\/p>\n
Marker will also attend the two-day tripartite talks beginning
\nThursday between Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Director General
\nfor Political Affairs Nugroho Wisnumurti and his Portuguese
\ncounterpart, Fernando Neves. According to TV reports, Portuguese
\nforeign minister Jaime Gama is also expected to attend the
\nmeeting.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Annan proposed to the UN Security Council on
\nTuesday to double the UN military liaison officers and unarmed
\npolice contingents in East Timor to 710, including 410 police,
\nsoon after the referendum.<\/p>\n
The UN also needed to \"reassure all groups, in particular
\nthose who were in the minority in the ballot, that they have a
\nrole to play in the future political life of East Timor,\" AFP
\nquoted Annan as saying.<\/p>\n
Annan also recommended a three-month extension of UNAMET when
\nits current mandate expires in September.<\/p>\n
Separately, representatives of the two warring rivals in East
\nTimor met in Jakarta. Jailed independence fighter Jose Alexandre
\n\"Xanana\" Gusmao led the proindependence delegation, while the
\nprointegration group was led by ambassador at large Lopez da
\nCruz.<\/p>\n
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman James Rubin
\ncategorically denied an Australian newspaper report that the
\ncountry planned to unilaterally send 15,000 troops to the
\nterritory.<\/p>\n
The Carter Center, led by U.S. former president Jimmy Carter,
\nmeanwhile urged President B.J. Habibie to cease Indonesian
\nMilitary and police support for armed militias.<\/p>\n
\"Both the military and police are actively campaigning for
\nintegration of East Timor into Indonesia,\" the center said in a
\nstatement issued in Dili.<\/p>\n
In Fatuahi Hill, East Dili, a provincial police spokesman said
\na group of proindependence militia ambushed their rivals who just
\nattended a meeting with opposition leader Megawati Soekarnoputri
\non Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Spokesman Capt. Widodo said he still could not say whether the
\nclash claimed any victims or not, and said the police were still
\nnot able to approach the place due to high tension there.<\/p>\n
From Dili, AFP reported that prointegration militia twice
\nattacked a student poll information center in the town of
\nViqueque, abducting two students and shooting at least two others
\ndead. (33\/prb)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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