AIETD participants discuss plan to set up cultural center

JAKARTA (JP): The 35 participants of the Third All-Inclusive Intra-East Timorese Dialog (AIETD) focused their second day of discussions in Austria yesterday on establishing an East Timor cultural center.

Participants still debated the center's structure, funding sources and legal status.

Pro-Indonesian government participants demanded that Indonesian law must be the legal basis for the establishment of the center while those against integration argued that international law be used instead.

"We are still not able to solve our divergences," Antara quoted pro-integration participant Rui Lopes as saying.

The four-day meeting in Krumbach, Austria, was opened by the United Nations special envoy for East Timor, Jamsheed Marker Monday.

Atmosphere

The talks between pro- and anti-integration East Timorese is aimed at reconciliating differences and creating a better atmosphere for a solution to the East Timor issue.

East Timor was integrated as Indonesia's 27th province in 1976. The UN, however, does not recognize the integration and still regards Portugal as the administrative power there.

Pro-integration participants include East Timor Governor Abilio Jose Osario Soares, human rights activist Clementino dos Reis Amaral and ambassador-at-large F.X. Lopes da Cruz.

Anti-integration participants include Ramos Horta, Abilio Araujo and Mari Alkatiri.

Ramos Horta and Dili Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year. Belo attended the meeting as an independent participant.

The UN sponsored talks did not touch on political issues. This will be left for talks between the Indonesian and Portuguese governments under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General.

But Governor Soares said that political issues was not totally taboo.

"The informal meeting is very useful in finding a solution to our divergences either in social and political issues or in cultural and economic matters," Soares said. (prb)