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)