A little help from friends

The East Timor peace process is now entering a make-or-break stage in the run-up to the first ever genuine ballot for East Timorese to determine their own future. The road to that ballot, however, scheduled for Aug. 8, remains long and difficult.

A major breakthrough is now imminent, with Indonesia giving its wholehearted agreement to the proposed security arrangements during the UN-supervised ballot. This includes the United Nations sending police officers from member countries as advisers to help Indonesian forces secure peace in the territory.

Barring last minute changes, Indonesia and Portugal will sign a landmark agreement on the text of the special autonomy package for East Timor at the United Nations on May 5. They will also sign agreements on the consultation process, and on the security arrangements for the ballot period.

An acceptance of the autonomy proposal will confirm East Timor's integration into Indonesia. A rejection will mean separation, which could happen as early as Jan. 1, 2000.

A lot still needs to be done to ensure that the August vote takes place in a peaceful environment. At the moment, the security situation in East Timor is far from ideal. The violent clashes between proindependence and prointegration forces that have erupted in East Timor in recent weeks could put the entire process in jeopardy. And as voting day approaches, the two opposing sides are bound to harden their positions and will be aggressively canvassing for support, or worse, threatening each other. Unless violence is curtailed, the road to the August election is bound to be bloody. East Timor could even plunge into a civil war, in which case there would be not voting at all.

At this very delicate stage of the process, Indonesia will need all the help it can get from other countries. The government should drop all pretensions that it can do the job alone. It should stop hiding behind sovereignty principles, preventing other countries giving assistance. East Timor has always been an international problem and the international community should share the burden of bringing about a resolution.

A major breakthrough has already been made on this front. Indonesia has agreed to the presence of UN police officers in East Timor. President B.J. Habibie has also publicly asked the United Nations to invite six countries -- the United States, Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Germany and Britain -- to oversee the implementation of all agreements made at the United Nations.

It is interesting that President Habibie should make the announcement during a joint media briefing with visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard in Bali on Tuesday. It is equally interesting to see that Australia responded positively to these overtures, pledging A$20 million (US$13 million) toward the US$30 million needed to organize the ballot in August. Howard also agreed to the Indonesian invitation to take part in overseeing the election, and to send Australian police officers to East Timor if asked by the United Nations.

Australia, and other countries for that matter, could and should do more when the situation calls for it. And Indonesia should not hesitate to ask for help, including in disarming the militias, if it can't do the job alone. At a time like this, any offer of help from Indonesia's friends is important. But even more important is for Indonesia to be more open and honest about what it can, and cannot, do.