East Timor's rival factions begin talks

JAKARTA (JP): Rival factions in East Timor began peace talks here on Monday aimed at ending violence in the troubled territory ahead of the August ballot.

Nobel laureate Dili Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, opening the second phase of the church-organized "Dare II Peace and Reconciliation Dialog", said it was the church's obligation to free the East Timorese from decades of conflict.

"It is the task of the church to release its children from the grip of the ceaseless conflict that now enslaves them," Belo said, referring to 23 years of violence since the province was annexed by Jakarta in 1975.

Belo urged all delegates "to work together toward a solution that will unite the people of East Timor and bring about prosperity.

"Please avoid issues of personal or group interests that could lead us to conflict of interests".

Belo was one of seven speakers launching the three-day talks at the Sheraton Bandara Hotel, which is located near Soekarno- Hatta International Airport.

The other speakers -- conversing in English, Indonesian, the East Timorese dialect Tetun and Portuguese -- were papal nuncio Enzo Fratino, UN representative Tamrat Samuel, the Indonesian government's Thomas Aquino Samudra, Lisbon envoy Ana Gomes and representatives of both proindependence and pro-Jakarta factions.

Speaking in Portuguese, jailed separatist leader Jose Alexandre Xanana Gusmao acknowledged the first actions would be difficult, but said it was the responsibility of the delegates to forge reconciliation in East Timor.

"The most difficult step has been taken -- that of the acceptance of the need for dialog as the means of reaching a better understanding of one another's ideas, of putting an end to apprehension and of rejecting violence," Xanana said.

He also called on all East Timorese "to break down, once and for all, the barriers constructed between us.

"If we inherited from our ancestors the spirit of rebellion, today the Timorese people wish to hand down something new to future generations -- real and lasting peace".

Pro-Jakarta delegate Lopez da Cruz, using the traditional name for the province, said "all our brothers and sisters in Timor Lorosae are anxious that we reach understanding and that we are capable of standing united for peace".

Pitfalls

"This is a historic moment, full of opportunities, but like all decisive historic moments, fraught with dangers and pitfalls," Samuel said.

He believed the ultimate challenge for the delegates would be how to make "the outcome of the consultation an acceptable foundation for a durable and peaceful system of coexistence for the opposing forces".

He described it as "a system in which every East Timorese will have a stake and which every East Timorese will have a reason to defend".

"(The meeting) is exactly to dissipate such fears and make it understood that there will be a place for everybody in East timor, after the consultation, whatever will be the result of the consultation," Gomes said.

The East Timorese will vote in August on whether to accept autonomy under Indonesia or proceed with independence.

The conference's 60 delegates -- 30 from each side -- include Belo's fellow Nobel laureate Jose Ramos Horta, the proindependence supporter who arrived in the country on Saturday after 23 years in self-imposed exile.

Outside the hotel, about 30 pro-Jakarta campaigners protested Ramos Horta's presence and called him a provocateur. One held up a placard showing a dollar sign and stating he was wanted "dead or alive".

The first session, held in the same hotel on Friday and Saturday, was restricted to representatives from East Timor. The talks are closed to the media.

Xanana, who is serving a 20-year sentence for armed rebellion, was given permission by the government to leave his special detention house in Central Jakarta for the talks.

The East Timorese are to take part in a UN-conducted vote in August following the government's statement in January that it would release the province if the people rejected the government- sponsored autonomy proposal.

Escalating violence between opposing groups in East Timor has led to dozens of fatalities.

Last week, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan ordered a two- week delay in the ballot from the original Aug. 8 date, citing security and logistical concerns.

Also on Monday, Dino Patti Djalal, spokesman for the Dili- based Task Force for the Implementation of the Popular Consultation in East Timor, said in a statement that the deployment of personnel and equipment for the United Nations Assistance Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) were proceeding well.

"Until June 22, there had been over 45 UNAMET flights to and from Dili and over 17 flights to and from Baucau, including those with fixed-wing aircraft, carrying personnel and equipment," Dino said.

The task force also welcomed the signing of the agreement on June 24 between state-owned TVRI television network and UNAMET on the use of the former's facilities to provide information on the special autonomy proposal to the East Timorese.

In Jakarta, the UN secretary-general's special envoy for East Timor, Jamsheed Marker, met National Police chief Gen. Roesmanhadi to discuss his visit to the province last week.

Antara quoted police spokesman Brig. Gen. Togar Sianipar as saying that Marker expressed satisfaction with ongoing preparations. The police are responsible for security in East Timor ahead of the direct ballot. (byg/33)