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)