Foreign envoys uneasy about East Timor

Foreign envoys uneasy about East Timor

JAKARTA (JP): Japanese foreign minister Masahiko Komura and
Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer met separately with
President B.J. Habibie and top Cabinet members on Thursday and
aired their concerns about the security situation in East Timor.

In a meeting at Merdeka Palace, Komura expressed his
government's hope the planned self-determination direct ballot in
the troubled province would be carried out in a peaceful and fair
manner.

Komura, who arrived here on Wednesday for a three-day visit,
spoke of the necessity of ensuring the safety of the United
Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) personnel during their
operations in the province.

"I reiterated that the maintenance of security ... and the
safety of UN volunteers there is very important" to ensure a
peaceful ballot, Komura said after the meeting.

Both Komura and Downer also met with Minister of Foreign
Affairs Ali Alatas, Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian
Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Wiranto.

Komura received leading politician Megawati Soekarnoputri
before meeting with Habibie. He also visited jailed East Timorese
rebel leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao at his detention
house in Central Jakarta on Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Downer said the "phase two" period, the two months
between the Aug. 30 ballot and the government's decision on
whether to accept the results, would be the most dangerous of the
whole procedure.

Downer, who was to fly to East Timor late Thursday, raised the
possibility of reinforcing the 240 unarmed UN civilian police
during the critical period. He said the issue was still under
discussion between Indonesia and Portugal in the UN's New York
headquarters.

"The Indonesian government has made it clear it wants UNAMET
to remain immediately after the ballot, either way," Downer said.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced on Wednesday the
second postponement of the direct vote date from Aug. 21 or Aug.
22 to Aug. 30. He cited rampant violence as the main reason for
the delay.

"There are proposals... about possibly increasing the number
of civilian police after the ballot. My understanding is that the
Indonesians wouldn't have any particular objection," the
Australian diplomat noted.

Alatas said that should the ballot decide for East Timor to
separate from Indonesia, there would be a vacuum period for
almost two months between the ballot and the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) General Session.

"The MPR would then legalize the ballot results. But until
then, Indonesian forces would remain there to keep order and
security," Alatas said after meeting with Komura at his office.

Meanwhile, the military has placed a Hawk bomber in Kupang,
East Nusa Tenggara, and an armored helicopter in Baucau, East
Timor, as precautions against illegal arms supplies -- reportedly
coming from Australia -- to the Falintil resistance group in the
troubled territory.

Maj. Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, an assistant to the Indonesian
Military's chief of general affairs, said here on Thursday the
military has also discussed the illicit arms supplies with the
Australian government. Sutarto said the response of the
Australian government was that it was not Canberra's policy.

He said the military in East Timor was still tracking down an
Australian citizen, identified only as Anthony, suspected of
supplying weapons to proindependence militia.

"The military has detected a number of 'black flights' by an
unidentified airplane supplying ammunitions to the territory over
the last two months," he said, adding that the Australian had
joined the separatist rebels hiding out in the territory.

"We allege (a number of newly confiscated) guns were supplied
from Australia but (Canberra) declined to take responsible for
the arms supply," he said.

In the East Timor capital of Dili, the government's task force
for the popular consultation said there should be no more delay
of the self-determination vote, saying there had been significant
improvements in security across the territory.

"People in East Timor have been so eager... for a settlement
of their future that the date for the ballot should not be
postponed any longer," spokesman for the task force Dino Patti
Djalal said.

He said the most urgent issue now was the disarmament process
before the campaigning began.

"Both UNAMET and KPS (the Commission for Peace and Stability)
must be able to persuade the warring factions to lay down their
arms and disarm themselves as soon as possible. If it happens, it
will give psychological impact to people here take part in the
popular consultation freely," Dino said. (05/33/amd/rms/prb)