U.S. Senator to visit E. Timor<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Visiting U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell yesterday
\nheld an exchange of views with Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali
\nAlatas concerning East Timor and human rights.<\/p>\n
\"We just had a general exchange of views. I don't want to go
\ninto specifics,\" Senator Pell told journalists after meeting with
\nAlatas here.<\/p>\n
\"Human rights was obviously a topic of discussion and I hope
\nthat some solutions can eventually be found in the difficult
\nrelationship between Portugal and Indonesia,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Pell arrived here on Wednesday and is scheduled to depart for
\nEast Timor later today before returning home tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Earlier yesterday, he also paid a courtesy call on President
\nSoeharto.<\/p>\n
Senator Pell is known to many as a vocal critic of East
\nTimor's integration into Indonesia in 1976 and of the human
\nrights record there.<\/p>\n
The Republican from the state of Rhode Island is known to
\nrepresent a constituency with a large community of Portuguese
\ndescendants.<\/p>\n
When asked by journalists, Pell acknowledged that the issue of
\nEast Timor has been a \"scratchy\" problem, irritating not only
\nrelations between Jakarta and Washington, but also \"Indonesia and
\nthe world for the past few years\".<\/p>\n
\"The important thing is to make sure that human rights are
\nmaintained at the highest possible level,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Asked what he thought could be a solution to this issue, Pell
\nsuggested the possibility of a referendum.<\/p>\n
\"I say the best case might be to have a referendum some time,\"
\nhe replied.<\/p>\n
While in Dili, Pell is scheduled to meet Governor Abilio
\nSoares and military commander Col. Mahidin Simbolon.<\/p>\n
\"I look forward to learning a little bit about how they view
\nthis situation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
About his trip here, Pell expressed his gratitude for the
\nhospitality and openness shown to him not only by Minister Alatas
\nbut also President Soeharto. (mds)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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