Bishop Belo reveals his Oslo travel plans to Alatas

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas yesterday revealed that Dili Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo has sent a letter outlining his planned trip to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize next week.

"Bishop Belo has sent a letter to me as Foreign Minister on his planned trip to Oslo, Stockholm and the Vatican, including his planned meeting with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl in Bonn," Alatas said yesterday.

Alatas said Belo's visits to Stockholm, Bonn and the Vatican were understandable.

Belo is to receive the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize together with separatist leader Jose Ramos Horta in Oslo on Dec. 10.

Sources say he will leave Dili on Saturday.

The former Portuguese colony of East Timor was integrated into Indonesia in 1976. But, a small, vocal separatist lobby group continues to solicit international support for its campaign against Indonesia.

The United Nations still recognizes Lisbon as the administrative authority of the tiny province.

Belo will travel to Stockholm to receive the prize.

His visit to Bonn is to fulfill a missed invitation to meet with Kohl. The latter had asked to meet Belo while he was in Jakarta in late October.

During his visit here, Kohl had said he wanted to meet with Belo and had even offered to send a plane to bring the Bishop from Dili to Jakarta. Belo did not accept the invitation, to the obvious disappointment of Chancellor Kohl.

Before returning Belo will visit the Vatican to report on his award.

Alatas yesterday maintained that Belo was free to go to Oslo if he wanted and the government would not hinder him in anyway.

"There are absolutely no obstacles," he said, adding that Jakarta had not forwarded any pointers or special instructions for Belo to follow.

"Let it go by, let it happen," the minister said of the scheduled press conference for Belo and Horta in Oslo.

However, he said Jakarta would not hesitate to respond if incorrect information about Indonesia was expressed.

Belo has just weathered a storm of criticism for reportedly telling German magazine Der Spiegel that Indonesian soldiers treated East Timorese like "scabby dogs". His remarks were published in the Oct. 14 issue of the magazine.

Over a month later, Belo claimed he had been misquoted.

Sources in Dili yesterday said Belo is expected to be accompanied on his trip by his secretary Father Domingos Sequira. Scholar Romo (Father) Y.B. Mangunwijaya from Yogyakarta is also expected to go.

When asked about the impact of the Nobel award on the Indonesia - Portugal talks due to be held on Dec. 21 in New York, Alatas said he hopes it will not have any adverse effect on the general climate of the meetings.

"If it hardens Portugal's stand, then it is regrettable," he said.

The UN Secretary General is sponsoring talks between the Indonesian and Portuguese foreign ministers to find an internationally acceptable solution to the question of East Timor.(mds)