Falintil, militia leaders attend disarmament meeting

Falintil, militia leaders attend disarmament meeting

DILI, East Timor (JP): Racing against time to ensure security amid the tension leading up to Monday's self-determination vote, proindependence and prointegration militia agreed on Saturday to step up moves toward disarmament.

Several areas were still tense following Thursday's violence with prointegration people blaming provocation by proindependence supporters. Unrest reportedly erupted in Ambeno regency as rivals exchanged stone pelting, but details were not available.

Spokesman for the Indonesian Task Force for the Implementation of the Autonomy Ballot in East Timor (P3TT) Dino Patti Djalal told The Jakarta Post that the warring factions vowed to proceed with a cantonment arrangement and agreed that no one would carry arms beyond defined areas.

"Both sides will also agree that the police can arrest anyone seen carrying arms beyond the areas," Dino said.

Dino attended the meeting, which was held in Baucau, some 90 kilometers east of here, as did United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) chief Ian Martin and Commission for Peace and Stability (KPS) chief Djoko Sugianto. UNAMET and KPS brokered the meeting, the first to be held since the June 18 disarmament talk in Jakarta.

The meeting was delayed several times.

"Of course we realize that this is not an easy subject. The question of arms in any peace negotiation is always a sensitive one, but it is imperative that we do everything we can to proceed with the laying down of weapons," Dino said.

Manuel Casmiro Lopez, a staff member at the Baucau diocese, told the Post from Baucau that Falintil leader Taur Matan Ruak was absent and sent regional commanders Falur Rate Laec, Ular, Lere and Sabica to the meeting.

The prointegration faction was represented by militia leaders Eurico Guterres, Joanico, Canicio Carvalho and spokesman for the Forum for Peace, Democracy and Justice Basilio Dias Araujo.

Dino said the two sides would meet further to discuss the disarmament arrangement after Monday's vote, in which East Timorese will decide whether or not to accept the wide-ranging autonomy package offered by the government.

"The atmosphere of the meeting was quite good. They physically embraced each other at the start and at the end of the meeting, and there were also smiles," Dino said.

KPS member Leandro Isaac, a proindependence leader who also attended the meeting, said the talk was moved from Dili to Baucau at the Falintil leaders' request. He cited the tension which had gripped the provincial capital following Thursday's clashes in which at least four people died.

Falintil leaders were flown to Baucau by a UN helicopter which landed in Baucau's Air Force base. Proautonomy leaders were transported from Dili by military and KPS helicopters. The meeting started at about 1:30 p.m. and lasted nearly two hours.

Extension

Earlier in the day, UNAMET spokesman David Wimhurst told a media conference that the UN had decided to extend the mandate of UNAMET until Nov. 30.

According to a statement, a civilian police component of up to 460 personnel would be incorporated to continue to advise the Indonesian Police and prepare the recruitment and training of a new East Timorese Police force.

UN also said that a military liaison component of up to 300 personnel would also be incorporated to undertake the necessary military liaison functions.

They will also continue to be involved in the work of East Timorese bodies which will be established after the ballot to promote peace and stability in the territory.

Wimhurst also said that at least one man was confirmed killed and his wife and son were still missing following an attack on the proindependence National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT) offices in Los Palos, some 140 kilometers east of Dili, on Friday.

"CNRT offices were destroyed by firebombs and shots were fired by the police to prevent militia activity," Wimhurst said.

Wimhurst also said that there was "sustained automatic gun fire" which pinned a number of civilian police and military liaison officers in a house in Maliana, some 60 kilometers southwest of Dili, on Friday.

"It was not directed at the house, but it prevented them from leaving; the target seemed to be the Don Bosco (school) where the students were," Wimhurst said, adding that there were no fatalities in the incident.

He added that at least three people, including a prointegration supporter, were reportedly killed following a rally supporting autonomy in Memo village near Maliana on Friday.

Local police arrested at least six people on Saturday during a weapon raid in the Colmerah area of West Dili. Four prointegration supporters and two proindependence supporters were arrested for carrying homemade guns and sharp weapons.

Meanwhile, a humanitarian aid package dispatched by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) arrived here on Saturday. ICRC spokeswoman Sri Endah Wahyuni said the delivery included blankets and water containers for 50,000 people, plus food for 10,000 people for a period of two weeks. (33/byg/amd)