E. Timorese leaders divided over solution
KRUMBACH, Austria (JP): East Timorese leaders remain divided over finding an acceptable solution for their tiny territory while representatives at a forum here even differ on issues allowed to be discussed.
Sunday's second day of sessions of the fourth All Inclusive East Timorese Dialog (AIETD) at Krumbach Castle ended in anger and disappointment among participants supporting proposals for a referendum to determine the province's status. The four days of dialog sponsored by the United Nations end on Tuesday.
East Timorese led by Jose Tavarez, a diplomat at the Indonesian Embassy in Brussels, said an earlier agreement not to discuss political matters related to the province's future should be respected.
But another group which included Nobel Prize co-winner Jose Ramos Manuel Horta tended to push for a discussion on a referendum. Meanwhile, the envoy of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Jamsheed Marker, said the dialog should contribute initiative and help prepare for self-rule even if the political and legal framework of autonomy was still under discussion.
A member of the National Commission on Human Rights, Clementino do Reis Amaral, said he agreed to self-rule "if it could be scientifically proven that is it economically viable for East Timor to have self-rule".
Horta said if the slow pace of negotiations continued, the East Timorese would not wait until the tripartite meetings scheduled for later this month or December. "East Timor's fate will be decided... from the streets in East Timor," he said.
He had insisted on Saturday that he only agreed with transitional autonomy for the province, while his opponents argued that autonomy was a final solution.
At the opening Horta had told the 41 participants to focus the discussion on his proposal for a referendum scheme.
"Instead of plenary sessions without concrete results, as in the past, we wish to be clear and concrete. We call on the AIETD participants to freely support and sign our document," Horta said. According to Horta's proposition, the transition would take from two years to five years, after which an internationally monitored referendum should be held in East Timor.
A member of East Timor's legislative council, Florentino Sarmento, said the Indonesian government's plan for special autonomy would be the best alternative because the province might face anarchy and civil war.
In Dili, Dili Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo said jailed Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao should be included in any peace efforts.
"Without the participation of Xanana, the problem of East Timor will drag on indefinitely," said Belo, who jointly won the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize with Horta. AFP quoted him as expressing hopes that the Austria talks "can talk openly about political problems and the economic capability of East Timor," Belo said.
President B.J. Habibie assured Belo in June that he would withdraw Armed Forces (ABRI) troops from the territory and grant it special autonomy.
ABRI Commander Gen. Wiranto denied on Friday reports that the number of soldiers had increased up to 17,834 in the province.
According to official government figures, soldiers there numbered not more than 10,500, mostly for territorial works.
AFP reported Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama as saying that he would meet a UN official in Austria on Tuesday to discuss reports on the alleged military buildup. (Aboeprijadi Santoso/prb)