Indonesia seeks voter registration extension
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas expressed a wish that the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) would extend registration for the self-determination vote in East Timor to allow more eligible people to participate.
"Our hope is that if more time is needed, why not be more flexible so that everybody can participate?" Alatas told journalists.
The registration, opened on July 20, is scheduled to close on Aug. 4, while the direct vote is due to be held on Aug. 30.
UNAMET said it had no plan to extend registration.
On Friday morning, Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer arrived in the East Timor capital of Dili for a one-day visit. He was the second most senior foreign guest since 1989 when Pope John Paul II visited the troubled territory.
Downer warned Jakarta that the world had trained its eyes on East Timor, and its reputation was at stake.
"If the UN ballot works, it will do a tremendous amount for Indonesia's reputation, but if it fails, it will be an enormous setback," Downer remarked.
He promised Australia would be "neutral" and would respect the outcome of the direct vote.
Downer dedicated the new Australian Consulate, the first diplomatic mission office there since 1976, also on Friday in Dili. "For our part, we will help the people of East Timor whichever way they vote," he said.
Meanwhile, in New York, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan requested the UN Security Council (UNSC) to extend the mandate of UNAMET by one month to enable it to complete its task.
Antara reported from the UN headquarters on Thursday night that Annan's request was discussed by the council, and was likely to agree with it.
UN Resolution No. 1246/1999 on the forming of the mission states that the UNAMET's mandate lasts only until Aug. 31, as the autonomy ballot was originally scheduled to be held on Aug 8.
"But the ballot's new schedule (Aug. 30) is a three-week postponement of the previous schedule stipulated in Resolution 1246. So the mission needs a month's extension of (its) mandate," Annan said in his letter to the UNSC chairman for July, Hasmy Agam of Malaysia.
"Such an extension will help UNAMET complete its mission -- counting the votes and announcing the results," Annan added.
From Dili, it was reported that UNAMET was planning to socialize the autonomy package offered by the Indonesian government to East Timor through a dialog to be held after the voter registration.
UNAMET spokesman David Wimhurst told the media on Friday that between Aug. 4 and Aug. 30, the mission would try to hold a dialog with locals who still did not understand the autonomy offer.
The mission was also preparing an audio tape that would explain the many aspects of the autonomy package, he told Antara, adding that copies of it would be distributed by UNAMET officers, liaison officers and UN civilian policemen across the province. (33/amd/prb)