Alatas seeks E. Timorese youths' support
Alatas seeks E. Timorese youths' support
DILI, East Timor (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas
solicited "constant and open support" for Indonesia's diplomatic
efforts to resolve the East Timor problem from local youths
yesterday.
"I expect the young people of East Timor to help me deal with
the East Timor problem," Alatas said when meeting with the local
cadres of the nation's dominant political organization, Golkar,
in Ermera yesterday.
Alatas said that a number of young people, who took part at
the recent meeting on East Timor in Austria, advocated the
government's development programs and explained the positive
aspects of the territory's integration with Indonesia.
"Such support causes all of those lies spread by a few
individuals like Ramos Horta to go unheeded because people can
begin to listen to East Timor residents," Alatas said.
East Timorese figures from Indonesia and abroad, some opposed
to and some in support of the former Portuguese colony's
integration into Indonesia in 1976, held a reconcilatory meeting
in Austria early this month to seek a common perception on East
Timor.
They agreed that such a meeting -- which did not discuss the
political status of East Timor -- be held again in the future.
In response to a question posed by a local youth, Alatas said
that from the Indonesian point of view, the East Timor
integration problem was resolved long ago because most of the
people have supported integration.
"But to foreign organizations, especially the United Nations,
the problem is still there," he said.
The UN still considers Portugal, which colonized the territory
for about 450 years, the legitimate administrator of East Timor.
He added that what the Indonesian government should do is to
accelerate development to help East Timor catch up with the other
provinces of Indonesia.
Alatas said that the East Timor problem will be resolved
through trilateral talks involving Indonesia, Portugal and the UN
secretary-general.
What each party seeks at present is a solution that satisfies
all three parties. But the one thing that Indonesia will flatly
reject is any proposal that a referendum be held, as has been
demanded by anti-integration leaders, Alatas said.
"Referendum would mean to wind back the clock. This is
impossible because it would mean that we do not appreciate all
that the East Timorese did in order to integrate with Indonesia,"
he said.
In Jakarta, Indonesia's ambassador-at-large, overseeing the
East Timorese, F.X. Lopez da Cruz, said yesterday that Indonesia
has not decided on a proposal that the next reconciliatory
meeting be held in Dili.
The proposal was made by a number of participants at this
month's reconciliatory meeting in Austria.
This possibility has yet to be discussed by Alatas and the
Portuguese foreign minister. They will be meeting again in Geneva
on July 8 under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General Boutros
Boutros-Ghali.
Also yesterday, the chief of the general affairs department
of the Armed Forces (ABRI), Lt. Gen. Soeyono, visited East Timor
and met with local military leaders.
"I meant to introduce myself to local military leaders," said
the general who took the post in February. Soeyono used to serve
in East Timor.
In his entourage were territorial assistant Maj. Gen. Talmica
Ali, chief of the Army Strategic Reserves Maj. Gen. Tarub, chief
of the Army Special Forces Brig. Gen. Soebagiyo, ABRI spokesman
Brig. Gen. Soewarno and chief of the Udayana regional military
command Maj. Gen. Adang Ruchiatna. (yac/pan)