Australia drawn deeper into E. Timor

Australia drawn deeper into E. Timor

By Endy M. Bayuni and Ati Nurbaiti

NUSA DUA, Bali (JP): Australian Prime Minister John Howard
will meet President B.J. Habibie here on Tuesday to discuss the
East Timor problem as pressure grows on Canberra to take a more
active role in the East Timor conflict.

Howard arrived here on Monday evening, accompanied by Foreign
Minister Alexander Downer and Defense Minister John Moore.
Habibie's entourage, which arrived some time after the
Australians, includes Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and
Minister of Security and Defense/Armed Forces Commander Gen.
Wiranto.

The summit signals not only Australia's increasing concern
about the situation in East Timor, but also domestic and
international pressure for Canberra to shoulder its share of the
burden amid signs of a possible breakthrough that will finally
settle the East Timor problem.

Howard, however, played down expectations of a new Australian
role in East Timor emerging from his meeting with Habibie.

"It's important that we have a realistic sense of what
Australia can achieve," Howard said in Canberra before boarding
his plane for Bali on Monday.

"It's important to understand that Timor is part of Indonesia
and it's absolutely essential if progress is to be made that we
engage the Indonesian government in a very positive and
constructive way," he said.

Habibie, during a meeting with Australian editors in Jakarta
last week, said he expected Canberra to take a leading role in
observing a United Nations-sponsored ballot expected to take
place in July or August, in which the East Timorese will decide
whether to accept Jakarta's offer of remaining in the republic
with wide-ranging autonomy.

If the East Timorese reject the offer, Indonesia will begin
the process of separation from East Timor, which could occur as
early as Jan. 1, 2000.

Australia, however, has ruled out committing troops under a UN
peacekeeping force, stressing that security in East Timor remains
the responsibility of the Indonesian military.

Howard said in Canberra last week that Australia would not
send troops unless there was a "clear national benefit".

"When people say we've got to do something, the best asset
Australia can bring to the dispute is influence," he said.

Analysts say Canberra is expected to take part in any future
UN peacekeeping force in East Timor should the security situation
in the territory deteriorate before or after the ballot.

Security arrangements ahead of the ballot was one of two
sticking points which stalled the agreement on the text of the
East Timor autonomy proposal by the Indonesian and Portuguese
foreign ministers at the United Nations last week. The agreement
is now expected to be signed on May 5.

Indonesia has agreed to some form of UN presence ahead of the
ballot, but has ruled out international peacekeeping troops,
stressing that the Indonesian military remains in charge.

But the escalation of violence between proindependence and
pro-Indonesian groups has raised doubts about the military's
ability, not only to keep the two groups apart, but also to
remain impartial amid accusations that elements of the military
have been training and arming the pro-Indonesia militia.

The Bali summit was hastily arranged following a phone call
between Howard and Habibie last week during which the prime
minister expressed concern over the escalation of violence in
East Timor.

The security situation is expected to feature prominently in
the summit.

"We want to see the United Nations process -- that we have
been involved in helping put together -- we want to see it
succeed but we also want to see the security situation on the
ground in East Timor substantially improved," Downer said on his
arrival in Bali on Monday morning.

Australia has been a staunch supporter of Indonesia's rule in
East Timor -- it signed an agreement to jointly explore the
mineral resources in the sea off Timor in 1991 -- and also the
most vocal critic of Jakarta's policy in the province.

Canberra made a sudden policy shift late last year, saying it
recognized the possibility of a referendum to allow the East
Timorese to determine their future if the special autonomy
proposal offered by Jakarta failed to work.

Officials in Jakarta said this policy shift influenced
Habibie's landmark decision in January to consider granting
immediate independence to East Timor if the autonomy proposal was
rejected.

In Dili, East Timor, the National Commission on Human Rights
facilitated the first plenary meeting of the East Timor National
Commission on Human Rights on Monday.

Set up as part of the effort to bring peace to the province,
the East Timor commission comprises representatives of
conflicting parties, the community and authorities. The Catholic
Church is represented by Dili Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo,
among others.

The East Timor commission will address areas affected by the
many disputes in the territory, including education, health, the
economy and press freedom, national commission executive Djoko
Soegijanto, who presided over the meeting, said.

Djoko said the Commission for Stability and Peace, set up in
conjunction with the peace pact signed by prointegration and
proindependence forces on Wednesday last week, would reduce the
workload of the East Timor commission.

"The Commission for Stability and Peace will work on human
rights violations such as terrorist acts and killings," Djoko
said after the three-hour meeting in Becora district.

He said the five proindependence representatives on the East
Timor commission could not make it to the event, adding the
meeting was hastily organized.

Liandro Isac of the proindependence CNRT organization was sick
and his coordinator David Ximenes was in hiding. Their homes were
attacked last Saturday, part of a series of attacks on Saturday
which left 13 people dead.

Also on Monday, United States Ambassador to Indonesia
Stapleton J. Roy visited Bishop Belo, but details of the meeting
were not available.