Clinton: World can learn from stoical Timor Lorosae

Clinton: World can learn from stoical Timor Lorosae

Agencies, Dili, Timor Lorosae

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton on Sunday praised the people
of tiny Timor Lorosae (the official name of newly declared
independent East Timor) for winning their freedom after years of
hardship.

Clinton said he wanted to thank the people and their leader
Xanana Gusmao "for giving all of us a chance to remember that
freedom is precious and that your freedom was paid for by blood
and sacrifice.

"It took so long to come but now that it is here, I hope we
can all make the most of it," he said hours before the territory
declared independence at midnight (10 p.m. Jakarta time) after
centuries of oppressive foreign rule.

Clinton, who is representing President George W. Bush at the
ceremony, said Bush and the American people "support East Timor
today and in the future".

He urged people to forget past differences and face the future
together.

"We celebrate this great day in a world that is beset by
conflicts in every region rooted in religion, race, tribe and
ethnic differences... " Clinton said.

United Nations human rights chief Mary Robinson called Timor
Lorosae (East Timor) a beacon of hope on Sunday as the tiny
Pacific territory formally ended more than 400 years of foreign
domination and became the world's newest state.

"East Timor is truly a beacon of hope for people around the
world struggling to rebuild their societies on a basis of justice
and human rights," the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights said in Geneva.

"The people of East Timor have shown the world that freedom
and justice cannot forever be denied," she added.

The eastern half of Timor island was captured by the
Portuguese in the 16th century and then invaded by neighboring
Indonesia in 1975 after the Portuguese withdrew.

East Timor finally won freedom in 1999 when Jakarta accepted a
UN plan for a referendum in the territory. But the result
triggered violent reprisals from pro-Indonesia militias in which
thousands died.

Robinson, who visited East Timor in August 2000, applauded the
rapid progress toward "reconciliation, democracy and the rule of
law" in the new country.

Former anti-Indonesia guerrilla leader Xanana Gusmao, who
spent most of the 1990s in a Jakarta jail, became Timor Lorosae's
first president.

Clinton stressed the importance of good relations in future
with neighboring states, notably Indonesia, and praised
Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri for her decision to
attend Sunday's celebrations.

He said Megawati's visit "is a very positive thing and I hope
that we can build on it to have some positive results".

Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Sunday hailed the
pending independence of East Timor and said it would be welcome
to join ASEAN.

"We are very happy for East Timor which celebrates its
independence tomorrow," Mahathir was quoted as saying by Bernama
news agency.

He said Malaysia "very much welcomes East Timor into ASEAN"
when asked if it should join the 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The premier expressed regret for not being able to attend
Timor Lorosae's independence celebrations, but he had been
scheduled to visit Japan. Malaysia was represented by Foreign
Minister Syed Hamid Albar.

Portugal on Sunday promised to support its former territory of
East Timor in the country's first years as an independent nation.

"We will be one of the most important external donors to East
Timor," said Prime Minister Jose Durao Barroso shortly after
arriving in Dili to attend the independence celebrations.

Barroso said Portugal would fund training programs for Timor
Lorosae's police force, among other aid programs. Portuguese
President Jorge Sampaio was also due to attend the midnight
celebrations.