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.