Conflicting East Timorese groups go to Bali for peace talks

Conflicting East Timorese groups go to Bali for peace talks

DILI, East Timor (JP): East Timorese from proindependence and
prointegration camps flew to Bali on Friday to meet with Minister
of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and Minister of Defense/Indonesian
Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Wiranto.

Participants expressed hope that the two-day meeting would
help ease tension ahead of the direct ballot planned for Aug. 8,
in which East Timorese will decide whether to accept or reject
the government's offer of autonomy.

Officials and locals from both sides have said East Timorese
lack information on the autonomy deal.

The deal says the province would be the Special Autonomous
Region of East Timor.

Leandro Isac, secretary of the proindependence National
Resistance Council for an Independent East Timor (CNRT) and seven
others in his camp, including Guy Campus of the Timorese
Socialist Party, were set to join the meeting.

Leandro had spent weeks sheltering at the Dili Police
Headquarters with other refugees, following an attack on
proindependence leaders' homes including his own. Thirteen people
were killed in the April 17 attack.

From the prointegration camp, delegates included Joao da Silva
Tavares and Eurico Guterres, commander and deputy commander of
the prointegration's armed wing.

Leandro said Alatas would explain the recent agreement reached
in the United Nations-sponsored Indonesia-Portugal tripartite
meeting on May 5 in New York.

"We want to find out exactly what the wide-ranging autonomy
offer is, so East Timorese people won't be fooled," he said.

Up to 300 UN police from several countries will be sent to
East Timor to help supervise the ballot.

On Friday, AFP reported that members of a local army battalion
clashed in Baucau regency on Thursday with members of the Army's
Special Forces (Kopassus). Two Kopassus members were seriously
injured, according to the Foundation of Human Rights and Justice.

Riu Fiana of the foundation said their local chapter reported
that the incident took place following a check on bus passengers
by the militia-backed Kopassus members.

Several members of the local 745 battalion intervened when the
Kopassus members roughed up passengers on the bus from Los Palos,
Fiana said.

Members of the Los Palos-based battalion later attacked the
Kopassus Headquarters near the terminal and shots were heard
until late in the evening, Fiana said. (33/aan)