Indonesia not happy with UN handling of Timor talks
Indonesia not happy with UN handling of Timor talks
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian government has expressed discontent with the United Nations preparations being made for an all-inclusive intra-East Timorese dialog, with Timorese leaders now threatening to withdraw their participation.
"We are disappointed at the way the process is proceeding," the Director of Information at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Irawan Abidin, told The Jakarta Post yesterday evening.
His comments came in reaction to the UN's arrangements, which he feels are now beyond the terms agreed originally agreed to in the Trilateral Talks between Secretary General Boutros Boutros- Ghali, Indonesian foreign minister Ali Alatas and his Portuguese counterpart Jose Manuel Durao Barroso.
Irawan revealed that the level of discontent felt by the Timorese leaders toward the current process was deeper than expected.
"East Timor leaders in Indonesia have made it clear that if the all-inclusive intra-East Timor dialog becomes more than what was agreed...they will have no option but not to attend," Irawan warned.
During the trilateral talks in Geneva on January 9, it was agreed that the UN would facilitate an all-inclusive East Timor dialog between the Timorese on both sides of the integration debate.
It was specified that the dialog would not discuss political issues and would aim more at reconciliation to help create a conducive climate for the ultimate solution of the East Timor issue by the two foreign ministers.
However, the senior Timorese politician, Lopez da Cruz, told the Post yesterday the UN has failed to consult the Timorese groups and has selfishly arranged the dialog without seeking the advisement of these groups.
"I feel anguished," Lopez said, adding that the UN seems to have taken over everything. "They are only supposed to facilitate and offer, not make all the arrangements."
The UN recently set a date of April 26 in Austria as the site of the dialog.
Lopez expressed his displeasure to Ismat Kitani, the Special Advisor to the UN Secretary general.
"I conveyed to them that what they are doing is contrary to the Secretary General's own statement (in the Geneva talks)," Lopez said.
The UN, apparently, has also drafted a list of 14 participants from abroad and 12 from Indonesia, which include names such as Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, Fretilin leader Ramos Horta and Abilio Araujo, who leads a splinter group of the Fretilin.
According to Lopez his dissatisfaction is also shared by Abilio Araujo who, with Lopez, pioneered the 1993 London meeting, the current model for the dialog being set-up.
"Rather than reconciliation we might have confrontation there," he said envisioning a possible outcome if the UN proceeds in the current direction.
Despite this setback Irawan remained hopeful that the dialog would still take place. "The Indonesian government remains committed to precisely such a dialog," he said.
Both Irawan and Lopez said that they are now awaiting a response from the UN.(mds)