East Timorese end talks in Bali on high note

KUTA, Bali (JP): A two-day East Timor dialog ended with optimism here on Tuesday as most participants expressed the belief that the door toward reconciliation was now ajar.

Statements made by several political figures attending the meeting, such as Indonesian foreign minister Alwi Shihab, Uni Timor Aswain (UNTAS) chairman Dominggus Soares, and head of the Council for Timorese National Resistance (CNRT) Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao were positive.

"This meeting heralds the beginning of the reconciliation process among the East Timorese. It is this process that Indonesia, both the government and its people, supports and encourages," Alwi said on the sidelines of the meeting.

Alwi urged East Timorese leaders to use the opportunity to boost the process to promote peace, stability and democracy in East Timor.

Gusmao expressed his gratitude to the Indonesian government for its help in the reconciliation process.

"We know that it (reconciliation) may take a long time. But we believe that we'll be able to overcome our obstacles and differences," he said.

The meeting, attended by some 40 members of UNTAS and 25 from CNRT, was sponsored and organized by Sweden's Uppsala University.

The University, known for its Faculty of Peace and Conflict Research, coordinated the structure of the dialog and acted as the chairman of the meeting.

"So far, I'm very happy with the improvements we made in this meeting," said meeting chairman Kjell-Ake Nordquist.

Nordquist added that clarification was the most important aspect of the meeting, beside socialization.

"This conference has its formal and informal sides. Some important statements were made in the formal sessions, but the other important part of the process occurred between sessions," he said.

A joint communique was slated to be released Wednesday morning.(zen/hdn)