Self confidence vital over E. Timor<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A feeling of self-confidence is essential for
\nIndonesia in dealing with critics of Jakarta's policy on East
\nTimor, a prominent political scientist said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\"If we have self-confidence, we will not object to being
\nscrutinized,\" said Juwono Sudarsono, the vice chairman of the
\nNational Resiliency Institute and former dean of the University
\nof Indonesia's faculty of social and political sciences.<\/p>\n
Juwono told journalists that, in other countries, the issue of
\nEast Timor will always be associated with questions of human
\nrights.<\/p>\n
\"I think that from the outset we should realize that East
\nTimor is something which always surfaces as a problem of human
\nrights in the international forum,\" he said, comparing the issue
\nwith other controversial human rights issues, such as Kashmir and
\nTibet.<\/p>\n
East Timor, formerly a Portuguese colony, was integrated into
\nIndonesia in 1976. However, the United Nations still recognizes
\nLisbon as the administrative power there.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the recent reconciliation talks in Austria between
\nEast Timorese of opposing factions, Juwono said he did not see
\nany reason why Indonesia should oppose the plan to hold further
\nsuch discussions in the future.<\/p>\n
\"I don't think we have any objections,\" he said.<\/p>\n
At the end of their meeting the East Timorese released a
\ndeclaration calling for the UN to facilitate a further dialog.<\/p>\n
The declaration also stressed the need to safeguard human
\nrights in the territory and to preserve East Timor's culture.<\/p>\n
\"We have also accepted and implemented the two points in the
\nAustrian declaration calling for attention to human rights and
\nrespect for East Timor,\" Juwono said. \"The most important thing
\nis that East Timor's political status and sovereignty was not
\nmade an issue.\"<\/p>\n
Juwono said that holding a future dialog in East Timor itself,
\nas has been suggested by some, could have positive as well as
\nnegative consequences.<\/p>\n
\"There would be a gain in that it would show that we are self-
\nconfident, but we could lose if the event was manipulated in such
\na way that it became an international media event,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Separately on Saturday Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas
\nagain said that the results of the dialog were being reviewed and
\nthat, therefore, he could not say what Indonesia's position was
\nconcerning the holding of a further dialog.<\/p>\n
After being briefed by members of the Indonesian delegation to
\nthe dialog at his office, Alatas said that whether or not another
\ndialog would be held would depend on his upcoming meeting with
\nhis Portuguese counterpart in Geneva on July 8.<\/p>\n
Alatas expressed satisfaction that the Austrian talks had
\nstuck to the original plan and refrained from discussing the
\npolitical status of East Timor. (mds)<\/p>",
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