E. Timorese group leaves for Portugal for pilgrimage
E. Timorese group leaves for Portugal for pilgrimage
JAKARTA (JP): An East Timorese delegation left for an
unprecedented visit to Portugal last night amidst signs of
progress at the UN talks.
The talks concerned the future of their homeland which has
been the subject of contention between Jakarta and Lisbon.
The 41-member delegation, led by senior politician F.X. Lopez
da Cruz, will be making a pilgrimage to the holy Catholic shrine
of Fatima in Portugal. They will stay in Portugal for four days
and will proceed to the Vatican before returning on May 23.
Although the mission is strictly religious in nature, Lopez
said it could provide an important impetus to the current effort
to strengthen ties between Indonesia and Portugal.
Diplomatic ties between the two countries were severed in 1976
when East Timor, formerly a Portuguese colony, became part of
Indonesia.
The Timor delegation also includes Lopez's wife and Mrs.
Abilio Osorio Soares, the wife of East Timor governor.
Despite heated negotiations between Indonesia and Portugal at
the UN talks, there has been an increase of person-to-person
contact between Indonesians and Portuguese -- most notably
between the East Timorese in Indonesia and those living in exile.
Cultural mission
Lopez disclosed that an Indonesian cultural mission is
planning to visit Portugal next month under the sponsorship of
the Indonesia-Portugal Friendship Association, chaired by
businesswoman and politician Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana.
Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana is the daughter of President Soeharto.
At the latest round of talks at the United Nations on Friday,
held under the auspices of Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-
Ghali, an agreement was made to encourage dialogs between the
rival East Timor factions.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, who represents
Indonesia, said in Geneva that he was prepared to meet with East
Timorese who oppose the integration with Indonesia. However, he
stressed that "they are a very small minority."
Alatas said that, on the contrary, Portugal had never intended
to meet with East Timorese who supported the integration.
Portuguese foreign minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso
acknowledged that Portugal had not wanted to meet with them for
fear of giving them legitimacy. He added however that he was now
willing to meet with pro-Indonesia East Timorese.
The two foreign ministers agreed to meet again in Geneva in
January.
In Jakarta, the outcome of the meeting was greeted by
politicians.
"I think this an extraordinary development," Lopez, who has
been appointed as ambassador at large on East Timor issues,
commented on Saturday. He told The Jakarta Post that it was a
positive sign, acknowledging the importance of the pro-
integration East Timorese.
Theo L. Sambuaga from the Golkar faction concurred with
Lopez's enthusiasm saying that Indonesia had already pioneered
"people to people" efforts by sponsoring various visits here by
Portuguese citizens of East Timor origin.
Emotional
Meanwhile, Siti Hardiyanti and Lopez on Saturday said that
Portugal has been too emotionally bound with the East Timor
question to let the matter at rest too easily.
During a discussion at the National Resilience Institute
(Lemhanas) they said that an avenue should be opened to allow
Portugal to preserve its national honor. They added that this was
a critical factor not to be overlooked in the on-going diplomacy
to resolve the East Timor issue.
According to Hardiyanti, even if Portugal wanted to resolve
the issue, it would be difficult for them to let go of East
Timor. "For Portugal, East Timor is a very emotional issue which
involves a question of self-respect and constitutional
obligation."
Lopez reiterated the importance of taking into account
Portugal's need for a reprieve.
He felt that if Portugal had interests in East Timor, such as
language, culture and history, Indonesia would be happy to
accommodate them.
Such interests, "should be agreed to, since they are only
cosmetic in nature and will no doubt fade by themselves," he
said. (07)