East Timor deal signed at UN

By Imanuddin

UNITED NATIONS (JP): Indonesia and Portugal signed a landmark agreement on Wednesday that will give East Timorese people an unprecedented chance to determine their own future.

Under the deal, signed by foreign ministers Ali Alatas of Indonesia and Jaime Gama of Portugal, the people in East Timor will be asked in a United Nations-supervised ballot, scheduled for Aug. 8, to choose between integration or separation with Indonesia.

If they choose integration, East Timor will remain part of Indonesia but will be given wide-ranging autonomy.

"It's the last time we see the two ministers meeting here discussing solutions for the East Timor problem," UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan, who witnessed the signing, told a joint media conference with the two ministers.

"This is a historic moment," he said.

Three documents were signed: one on the basic text on the election and the autonomy package, another on security arrangements, and the third on the mechanism for the "popular consultation" as the August ballot is officially called.

The UN Security Council plans to welcome and endorse the agreement on Thursday or Friday.

East Timor was annexed by Indonesia in 1976, a year after the Portuguese colony administration abandoned the territory. The United Nations never recognized Indonesia's claim over East Timor and the issue, coupled by reports of gross human right violations by the Indonesian military, has plagued Indonesia's standing in the world.

Wednesday's agreement ended a long-drawn and exhaustive diplomatic battle between Indonesia and Portugal at the United Nations dating back to 1983.

Under the deal, the United Nations would send civilian police to help oversee the election, but responsibility for the security in East Timor remained with Indonesia in the run-up to and on the day of the ballot, Annan said.

"I strongly urge all elements and political tendencies in East Timor to refrain from any resort to force and to cooperate with the United Nations in fulfilling its tasks," he said.

He said an advanced UN team was on its way to East Timor to begin preparing for the election.

Gama insisted that Indonesia create a conducive peaceful situation in East Timor. "The consultation cannot be held with the presence of fear and killings among the East Timorese."

He gave assurances that Portugal would comply with the content and support the agreement.

He presented a US$10 million check to the UN secretary-general as Lisbon's contribution to cover the cost of the August ballot, which is estimated at between $30 million and $45 million.

Responding to questions, Alatas said all parties agreed on disarmament of the militia "but we are realistic enough to know that special steps need to be taken".

He said disarmament required the cooperation of all groups, including those favoring independence.

"And that requires some doing," he said.

Separately, Alatas told Indonesian journalists he was glad Indonesia's diplomatic battle over East Timor at the United Nations was finally over.

"This is a milestone for the future settlement of the East Timor problem."

On security in East Timor, Alatas urged all the warring parties to end their hostilities.

"Avoid any intimidation, provocation and armed violence by any parties," he said, referring to both the prointegration militias and the proindependence armed resistance.

Asked about the fate of the jailed East Timor guerrilla leader, Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao, Alatas said the government would consider releasing him after the Aug. 8 ballot.

Jamsheed Marker, the UN envoy assigned by Annan to handle East Timor, said there would not be any UN peacekeeping troops in East Timor prior to or during the election.

He said UN police would not be assigned the task of disarming the opposing factions.

"The United Nations is more concerned with maintaining law and order in East Timor," the Pakistani diplomat said. "Because I'm convinced that East Timorese have had enough of the conflicts."

The United Nations was waiting for an assessment from a team already in East Timor before deciding on how many UN police officers were needed, he said.

President B.J. Habibie had specifically asked that the United States, Britain, Australia, Japan, Germany and the Philippines be included in any UN mission to East Timor.

Marker said Australia was one of the countries, which had expressed willingness to financially and physically support the consultation process.

"Australia has made the commitment and contribution to help support the consultation," he said.