Portugal accepts East Timor plan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Portugal accepted on Friday Indonesia's autonomy
\npackage for East Timor, paving the way for a historic ballot in
\nthe troubled province before the end of August, Antara reported
\nfrom United Nations headquarters in New York.<\/p>\n
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the two countries would
\nsign the deal on May 5, because the Indonesian government needed
\nmore time to approve two new documents which will be part of the
\nagreement. The documents, introduced by Portugal, concern the
\nconducting of the ballot and security arrangements.<\/p>\n
\"I am pleased to inform you that after a very productive and
\nsuccessful round of meetings ... we have an agreement,\" Annan
\nsaid after closing the two-day UN sponsored ministerial meeting
\nbetween Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and his Portuguese
\ncounterpart, Jaime Gama.<\/p>\n
According to AP, Alatas said there were no \"sticking points\"
\nand expressed hope the two new proposals will not pose any
\nproblems for Indonesia.<\/p>\n
President B.J. Habibie has said he plans to hold a direct vote
\non the autonomy plan in July to enable the 800,000 East Timorese
\nto choose whether they want to remain part of Indonesia or become
\nan independent state.<\/p>\n
Alatas said he hoped the ballot could be held before the end
\nof August.<\/p>\n
Alatas said UN civilian police could probably form part of the
\nUN contingent to be sent to East Timor to organize the vote, but
\nadded that Indonesian military and police would play the major
\nimportant role of ensuring peace and order in the province.<\/p>\n
He again ruled out the possibility of the deployment of
\nforeign troops on a peacekeeping mission there.<\/p>\n
UN representative to East Timor Jamsheed Marker, who attended
\nthe talks, told reporters he did not consider a peacekeeping
\nforce \"necessary\" at this time.<\/p>\n
\"We have taken the word of the Indonesian government that
\npeaceful conditions will prevail,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The international community, including Australia and Japan,
\nwarmly welcomed the agreement. Australian Foreign Minister
\nAlexander Downer called it an important step toward \"the
\nrealization of a peaceful and democratic transition for East
\nTimor\".<\/p>\n
Downer is to accompany Prime Minister John Howard during a
\nmeeting with President B.J. Habibie in Bali on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\"The agreement was a big step forward toward settling the
\nmatter over East Timor peacefully,\" the Japanese foreign ministry
\nsaid in a statement, as quoted by Reuters.<\/p>\n
In East Timor's capital of Dili, both prointegration and
\nproindependence groups were calm about the developments in New
\nYork.<\/p>\n
\"The result is good, but we are very disappointed over the
\ndelay (in the signing) ... we need it to stop killings that still
\ncontinue here,\" said David Ximenes, spokesman for proindependence
\ngroup the National Council for Timorese Resistance (CNRT).<\/p>\n
The council is chaired by jailed rebel Jose Alexandre \"Xanana\"
\nGusmao.<\/p>\n
\"(The delay) of the signing of the agreement ... could worsen
\nconflict between pro and anti-integration groups,\" said the
\nspokesman for the prointegration Democratic Forum for Justice and
\nPeace, Florencio Viera.<\/p>\n
Abduction<\/p>\n
In East Timor, 30 residents of Covalima regency were abducted
\nlast Saturday, director of a Dili legal aid office said. Two of
\nthem are believed to have been killed, lawyer Aniceto Guterres
\nLopes of the Hak Foundation told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Quoting local sources, abductions by prointegration groups in
\nthe regency followed the daylight shootings in Suai town, about
\n200 kilometers southwest of Dili.<\/p>\n
Men identified as prointegration members reportedly have
\nentered residents' homes in the middle of the night and kidnap
\npeople on their list of suspected independence supporters.<\/p>\n
Last Saturday and Sunday, 14 people were killed in a number of
\nviolent incidents in Dili.<\/p>\n
Covalima residents declined to talk to the media by phone,
\nsaying they suspected the lines were tapped, while roads to the
\narea were blocked by several militia check posts.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, authorities still maintained the area was safe
\nand that nothing was amiss.<\/p>\n
However, \"Despite the Wednesday peace pledge, terror,
\nintimidation and abductions are still going on in Covalima,\"
\nAniceto said.<\/p>\n
He added that as of Saturday, house searches were still going
\non, such as in Maskarinas, West Dili. The targets were people
\nfrom Maubara and Liquica town in Liquica regency, where a
\nmassacre took place early April, killing at least 25, according
\nto one estimate.<\/p>\n
Dili Police chief Col. Timbul Silaen said on Saturday he had
\nordered a stop to all law violations, but said time was needed to
\nenforce the peace pact down to the village and farm levels.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, relief organizations reported continued threats on
\nthem, preventing them from reaching Liquica and other areas in
\ndire need of food and medical supplies. In addition, government
\nhealth services have dropped dramatically following the exodus of
\nmany non-East Timorese health workers, citing terror caused by
\nproindependence groups.<\/p>\n
Gregorius M. Fernandez of the United Nations Children's Fund
\nbased in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, which is to open a liaison
\noffice in Dili, said international organizations had checked
\nmedical supplies at Dili warehouses.<\/p>\n
East Timor bishops have requested international aid to
\nanticipate medical and food supply shortages, he said, and the
\norganizations were searching for ways in which they could help.<\/p>\n
\"There are enough supplies until June,\" he told the Post on
\nSaturday after accompanying representatives of the World Health
\nOrganization and the United Nations Development Program. (33\/anr)<\/p>",
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