Demo greets Marker's arrival in Dili

Demo greets Marker's arrival in Dili

DILI, East Timor (JP): About 1,000 youths took to the streets
on Saturday to greet the arrival of Jamsheed Marker, the special
envoy of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Kofi Annan,
who came here for talks with both pro-integration and pro-
independence groups.

Marker flew in on a military helicopter from Kupang, East Nusa
Tenggara. Under tight security, he was rushed to the official
residence of East Timor's Military Commander Col. Tono Suratman
where he will stay during his two-day visit here.

"We are getting very close to an agreement. It is very
important for everybody to maintain peace and not to resort to
any form of violence because that would be very
counterproductive," Marker told journalists before meeting with
Tono.

Several protesters tried to remove the national flag in front
of the provincial consultative council, but were prevented by
others.

The protesters demanded the government investigate various
violations of human rights in Alas, Manufahi, and in Cailako,
Atabae and Bobonaro.

"Removing the flag is not a good way to resolve East Timor's
problems," Dili Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo said about the
incident.

Soon after replacing Soeharto in May, President B.J. Habibie
launched measures to display a more flexible approach to the East
Timor question. Many people in East Timor also acknowledged some
laxity on the part of the military personnel deployed in the
often-turbulent territory.

"The secretary-general admires the East Timorese people's
patience and courage, and has called upon all concerned to
maintain peace," said Marker, who also visited Dili in July.

Accompanied by his senior staff member Tamrat Samuel, Marker
also met with pro-independence leader Manuel Carrascalao and Joao
Petrus Soares from the Fretilin resistance group, with Belo and
with pro-integration leaders.

He is also scheduled to meet with Baucau Bishop Bacilio do
Nacimento, and East Timorese Governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares.

Marker arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday for a nine-day visit. He
has met Armed Forces Chief Gen. Wiranto and Minister of Foreign
Affairs Ali Alatas, and jailed separatist leader Jose Alexandre
"Xanana" Gusmao. A meeting with President B.J. Habibie is planned
but not yet confirmed.

Marker had said Xanana's release and the opening of a UN local
office in Dili were among key issues he would raise during his
discussions with Indonesian officials.

Xanana indicated that he might agree with Jakarta's autonomy
plan for East Timor as an intermediate step before self-
determination for the territory in the next 10 years.

"I come here for peace," Marker said in Dili.

Just one day before his arrival in the province, a joint fact
finding team under the provincial administration announced that
nine people were killed, including five Armed Forces (ABRI)
members and six injured in two incidents involving pro-
independence groups in Alas and Weberek last month. (33/prb)