UN chief seeks quick solution on E. Timor<\/p>\n
GENEVA (Reuter): United Nations chief Kofi Annan said
\nyesterday that Portugal and Indonesia were ready to revive UN-
\nsponsored talks on East Timor and he hoped the two sides could
\nreach agreement quickly on the troubled territory.<\/p>\n
Annan said he would meet Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali
\nAlatas in the Swiss resort of Davos, where the World Economic
\nForum is hosting its annual gathering to Feb. 4.<\/p>\n
The new UN secretary-general said he had met Portuguese and
\nIndonesian envoys in New York to discuss resuming the talks,
\nwhich were to have taken place in December but were postponed.<\/p>\n
\"They are prepared to move the process forward and continue
\nthe talks,\" Annan said.<\/p>\n
\"Since both sides are ready and prepared to move forward, I
\nintend after appropriate consultations to set in motion the
\nmechanism for the talks,\" he added, without giving a date.<\/p>\n
\"We will try to keep it on a sustained basis and try to bring
\nthe parties to some conclusion as quickly as possible.\"<\/p>\n
Alatas told reporters in Jakarta on Tuesday, after meeting
\nPresident Soeharto, that he expected to discuss the East Timor
\nissue with Annan in Davos.<\/p>\n
Alatas accused Portugal of trying to drag out the East Timor
\nissue and seeking to blame Jakarta for the lack of a settlement.<\/p>\n
East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, was integrated into
\nIndonesia in 1976 and has since become Indonesia's 27th province.<\/p>\n
The United Nations did not recognize the integration and still
\nregards Portugal as the territory's administering power.<\/p>\n
Tensions in the East Timor capital, Dili, have risen recently
\nas Indonesian security officers searched for youths suspected of
\ninvolvement in the murder of a soldier on Dec. 24.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a statement from the Malaysian Attorney-General
\nsaid yesterday that four members of a pro-Malaysian government
\nyouth group that disrupted a conference on East Timor last
\nNovember will be charged today,<\/p>\n
The 60 participants of the Asia Pacific Conference on East
\nTimor II (Apcet II) would not face charges, the statement said.<\/p>\n
Members of the youth group broke up the Nov. 9 meeting at a
\nKuala Lumpur hotel, overturning furniture and manhandling
\nparticipants.<\/p>\n
The four, members of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's United
\nMalays National Organization (UMNO), would be charged with
\nillegally disrupting the meeting, the Attorney General said.
\nThe participants welcomed the decision.<\/p>\n
\"However, we are concerned that the several hundred others who
\nparticipated in the disruption and are equally responsible are
\ngetting off scot-free,\" the November 9 Civil Rights Group said in
\na statement yesterday.<\/p>\n
The Malaysian government had opposed the conference, fearing
\nit would harm ties with Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Apcet II aimed to focus attention on East Timor.<\/p>\n
More than 100 people, including participants and journalists,
\nwere detained after the aborted conference. Malaysia subsequently
\ndeported 46 foreign participants.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/un-chief-seeks-quick-solution-on-e-timor-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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