East Timor move not an instruction: Alatas

JAKARTA (JP): The motion to grant East Timor independence was taken collectively during the Jan. 27 Cabinet meeting after President B.J. Habibie first aired the idea two days earlier, an official has said.

"It was not an instruction, though," said Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas during a hearing with House of Representatives Commission I for political and security affairs.

In his memorandum to ministers, Habibie cited Australia's recent shift in stance on East Timor and raised the possibility of a breakdown in the UN-sponsored talks between Portugal and Indonesia over the territory's future.

Alatas said Habibie asked his ministers to consider alternatives for the province, including the possibility of proposing separation at the General Assembly of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in 1999.

A range of proposals were debated openly and in a democratic fashion during the subsequent Cabinet meeting chaired by Habibie at the Bina Graha presidential office, Alatas said.

Alatas and Minister of Information Muhammad Yunus then made the bombshell announcement to the media last month.

"Cabinet meetings are different now (compared to those held under former president Soeharto)," Alatas said of the Cabinet meeting with Habibie.

"Back then, all the ministers would report to the president (Soeharto) and he would give out instructions... none dared to debate," he revealed with a smile.

The manner with which the decision on East Timor was taken was highlighted by legislator Y.B. Wiyanjono from the minority Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) faction, and earlier by Djuhad Mahja of the United Development Party (PPP).

Wiyanjono said the government had failed to consult the House before taking the decision and said Alatas should not have offered a second option before efforts to negotiate the first had been exhausted.

"What do you mean, the decision was taken 'on the basis of the President's memorandum'?" said Wiyanjono, referring to a phrase in the minister's written answers to questions lodged by the Commission.

Force majeure

Alatas apologized, blaming "force majeure" for the government's failure to consult the House before announcing the new stance on East Timor.

Alatas revealed that he was forced to announce the alternative before the appointed date because news of the shift had leaked to the press.

"I was contacted by a journalist who asked for my confirmation of the changes (before the meeting)," he said.

Alatas therefore chose to announce the plan to the media after the Cabinet meeting.

There is growing speculation that the government's latest shift on East Timor bypassed Alatas' office.

Habibie's advisor on foreign affairs, Dewi Fortuna Anwar. Dewi, who sits on the board of experts in the Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI), which Habibie once chaired, has denied this to be the case.

According to Alatas, two days before the Cabinet meeting around 50 people including ministers discussed the option. He did not say if he attended the meeting.

He conceded that negotiations with Portugal would be tougher now that the government's willingness to consider independence for East Timor had been made public.

Alatas said that leaving East Timor though the MPR would be "an honorable and dignified" exit for Indonesia.

However, the option will be considered only if Indonesia's offer of broad autonomy for the troubled province is rejected in tripartite talks with Portugal at the United Nations.

Under the proposal, East Timor would be free to handle their own affairs except on foreign policy, external defense affairs and monetary and fiscal matters.

Alatas also said that East Timor would still take part in the June 7 election, but only to elect representatives to the House of Representatives, not lower-level assemblies. Under the newly- endorsed election bill, the province will be allocated 13 seats in the new House.

Elections for the provincial legislature will be postponed until the question of autonomy has been settled, Alatas added.

Also in the hearing, Alatas explained why Indonesia rejected a proposal for referendum in the province tables by Portugal and supporters of East Timor independence.

At the end of the hearing, legislators expressed their support for the government's stance.

Meanwhile, the United States has said it will not take any position on East Timor's future, stressing that it would accept any negotiated outcome.

"We won't try to offer a particular solution. It is up to the parties themselves and of course, to the East Timorese people," U.S. assistant secretary of state Stanley Roth said.

"The U.S. is prepared to be helpful in any way that it can, if requested," Roth said here on Friday, as quoted by Antara.

He stressed the importance of the ongoing negotiations, noting that it was the first time the Indonesian government had shown the inclination to negotiate or be flexible in the 23 years since East Timor was integrated into Indonesia.

Meanwhile, from West Java town of Pandeglang, Habibie told a gathering the East Timorese may separate from Indonesia if they fail to emphatize with the strife of the nation as a whole.

"If they pose a burden for us... and if they cannot comprehend our strife, they may either adjust or part ways peacefully," he said. (aan/prb)