East Timor tribal leaders blast UN over talks

East Timor tribal leaders blast UN over talks

By Ridwan M. Sijabat and Yacob Herin

DILI, East Timor (JP): Thirteen tribal chiefs and dozens of leaders of various East Timorese social and youth organizations, supported by about 4,000 people, held a political rally yesterday to reaffirm their commitment to remaining part of Indonesia.

In a statement presented to Governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares, the leaders criticized the United Nations for organizing an intra-East Timor dialog over their heads.

"We are always behind the government's efforts to seek reconciliation with all East Timorese in exile who oppose the integration," the statement read. "But we are against the planned reconciliation meeting initiated by UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali because he himself has determined the individuals invited to the meeting without consulting with the Indonesian government."

The meeting, planned for April 24-26 in the Austrian city of Salzburg, is now in jeopardy after both the Indonesian government and pro-Indonesian East Timorese leaders criticized the UN chief for not consulting with them, most notably in relation to the list of invitees.

The meeting was one of the points agreed to during the last dialog between Indonesian and Portuguese foreign ministers, held under the auspices of the UN. It is considered to be a part of the confidence-building measures necessary to settle the East Timor problem at the United Nations once and for all.

Local East Timorese leaders have long insisted that those who are fighting for a separate state represent a tiny and declining minority.

Abilio said he would ask the government to protest at the UN's actions in determining, unilaterally, all the participants in the Salzburg meeting. "If the UN respects Indonesia's sovereignty, it should have consulted the government in determining those to be invited to the East Timor discussion."

Abilio said East Timor's integration into Indonesia in 1976 was "indisputable."

Those who were "still dreaming" of a separate East Timorese state should accept this fact, drop their lost cause and return to the province to help its development, he said. "Even if the sun rises in the west and sets in the east, there will still be no change to the integration," he said.

The tribal and organization leaders said they would fight tooth and nail against any forces attempting to disturb the integration of East Timor in Indonesia.

Their statement said: "The province of East Timor was born as a result of the struggle of East Timorese people for years to be free from 450 years of Portuguese colonialism. And this integration is the realization and honoring by the Indonesian government and people of human rights in East Timor."

Integration was one political course for achieving East Timor's self-determination, freeing East Timor's people from colonialism, it said. "Changing the integration's history would be a betrayal of the East Timorese people's aspirations and the struggle of their heroes who fought for the integration."

The East Timorese leaders also gave their wholehearted support to the Indonesian Armed Forces and their efforts to maintain stability and safeguard development in the province.

They said they would set up a new organization to maintain and strengthen the integration and its noble values.

"The organization, to be called Garda Muda Penegak Integrasi (Young Guards for the Defense of the Integration), will be a venue in which East Timorese youth will be educated and trained to maintain and defend the integration," the statement said.