Alatas off to Geneva for more Timor talks
Alatas off to Geneva for more Timor talks
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas is to fly
to Geneva tomorrow for an eighth round of talks with his
Portuguese counterpart to settle the international status of East
Timor.
Alatas announced after reporting to President Soeharto at the
Merdeka Palace yesterday that the meeting, held under the
auspices of the United Nations' Secretary-General Boutros
Boutros-Ghali, is expected to focus on essentials of the issue.
"So we will no longer focus on confidence building measures,
but more on what measures the two parties should take to lead to
a comprehensive and just solution that is acceptable to the
international community," he said.
He did not elaborate on what matters would be raised at the
meeting, which is scheduled for June 27.
The United Nations continues to regard Portugal as the
administering power of East Timor, a territory it abandoned in
1975.
Prior to the Timor talks, Alatas is scheduled to attend and
address a conference of the Disarmament Committee in the Swiss
town.
The previous round of meetings between Alatas and Portuguese
foreign minister Jaime Gama in London in January was the first
time the ministers began concentrating on essentials rather than
confidence building.
The upcoming talks will also follow up on some of the points
raised in the historic meeting between President Soeharto and
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres in Bangkok in March
when both were attending the Asia-Europe Meeting.
That encounter was the first between the two heads of state
since Indonesia and Portugal broke off relations in 1976 over the
East Timor conflict.
One of the points suggested by Guterres was the possibility of
opening a section of interest to Indonesia in an embassy of a
friendly country in Lisbon and vice versa in Jakarta. But
Guterres also demanded the release of East Timor guerrilla leader
Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao as a condition.
Indonesia has indicated that it has no problem with the offer
but objects to the condition.
Alatas during a hearing with the House of Representatives this
month said that Indonesia is ready to take the East Timor issue
to an open UN debate if further talks with Portugal fail to
produce substantial results. (emb)