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)