East Timor 'nothing but rocks': Habibie

East Timor 'nothing but rocks': Habibie

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie again expressed
resentment on Tuesday about the financial burden placed on
Indonesia since East Timor was integrated in 1976.

Speaking to a visiting delegation from North Sulawesi, Habibie
described Jakarta's decision to integrate the former Portuguese
colony of East Timor as an act of "charity", aimed to relieve
people's suffering, because the territory had "nothing but rocks"
to offer.

"But what did they give us? Natural resources? No. Human
resources? No. Technology? No. Abundant gold? No. Rocks? Yes!"

In the meeting held at Merdeka Palace, he argued that the
world community had failed to give even the smallest amount of
assistance to the tiny territory.

He said the province receives an annual budget six times
bigger than that accorded its neighbor, East Nusa Tenggara.

"This is difficult to understand, from a justice point of
view."

Habibie reiterated his recommendation that East Timor be
granted independence by Jan. 1 next year, if the government's
special autonomy proposal is rejected.

Jailed East Timorese rebel Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao said
on Tuesday that "what we want from Habibie is sincerity, not only
in words but in actions", reported Reuters.

In an interview with Portugal's Lusa news agency issued on
Monday, Gusmao said he would shortly meet with East Timor
Military Commander Col. Tono Suratman and Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri,
chief of the Udayana Military Command, which oversees four
provinces including East Timor.

"We are not going to talk of a cease fire because that is a
term the Armed Forces do not like to use, but we are going to see
what the chances are of an accord to end military hostilities."

Separately, Dili Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo said at a
meeting with a Catholic community in New South Wales, Australia,
that pro-independence and pro-integration groups should disarm
themselves to avoid a possible civil war.

"May I appeal for the Australian government and the public to
support (campaigns to) disarm these people," he said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and his
Australian counterpart Alexander Downer will meet on Wednesday to
discuss the future of East Timor. Downer is scheduled to meet
with Habibie on Thursday.

"This is a routine meeting," Alatas said on the sidelines of
the fourth Indonesia-Australia Ministerial Forum in Bali.

From Dili, the capital of East Timor, Antara reported that
Aitarak militia group leader Eurico Guterres, had condemned
former officials demands for independence from Indonesia.

"When they were still with the government, they vowed to
defend integration, but now they no longer hold a position, they
have betrayed their pledge," Eurico said without mentioning any
names.

In Jakarta, Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces
Commander Gen. Wiranto urged East Timorese, especially the two
conflicting factions, to be patient for the results of the UN-
sponsored tripartite meeting.

"It is up to the East Timorese people to accept or reject the
tripartite meeting's formulation of the province's special status
with wide-ranging autonomy.

"If they want a permanent separation from Indonesia, they
should do it peacefully and respectfully," he said during a
hearing with the House of Representatives commission dealing with
defense and security here on Tuesday.

The New York tripartite meeting between Indonesia and Portugal
is expected to finish deliberating the autonomy formulation by
April.

Wiranto reiterated that ABRI would not agree to a referendum
on self-determination because the province was an integral part
of Indonesia.

"A referendum is usually conducted by colonies."

He said ABRI would also reject Australia's proposal for a
referendum for East Timor after a five-year autonomy period.

"ABRI will respect... the government's alternative of greater
autonomy or a permanent separation."

Wiranto acknowledged rising tensions in the territory but
rejected any plans to deploy further troops.

"No. We have no plans to send more soldiers to ease the
mounting tension between the two warring factions." (prb/rms/rid)