Indonesia to seek settlement for assets in East Timor
Annastashya Emmanuelle The Jakarta Post Jakarta
Indonesia will continue to seek a settlement of its assets in East Timor despite its foreign minister Jose Ramos Horta's call to drop the subject, Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirayuda said on Thursday.
"The government is still in the process of assessing the country's assets in its former territory and will seek a solution to the matter as soon as it has held bilateral talks with East Timor," Hassan said after attending the Cabinet meeting.
In response to Horta's comment, Hassan said it was a "one- sided opinion" and Indonesia thus far had no plan to relinquish its assets there.
In Dili on Wednesday, Horta said it would be better if Indonesia no longer fussed about claiming assets there, as East Timor had lost much more during Indonesia's hostile pullout in 1999.
Thousands of buildings and homes were burned down in the tiny territory after East Timor voted to disintegrate from Indonesia in a UN-organized ballot; thus both sides should take the "zero sum" approach, Horta said as reported by Agence France-Presse.
"That is their opinion. There are several categories (of asset) that need to be settled -- the government's assets, state enterprises, plus those of (Indonesian) private companies as well as individuals. We will discuss this as soon as we have the chance to hold a dialog with East Timor," Hassan told reporters.
Hassan acknowledged, however, that the matter had not yet been discussed thoroughly in the past two years, and Indonesia had yet to complete its assessment.
Prior to agreeing to attend East Timor's independence celebration, the government raised the matter of settling the Indonesian assets that remained there and of making arrangements at the Seroja Heroes' Cemetery as the highlight of President Megawati Soekarnoputri's visit, to tone down domestic resentment over the trip.
Legislators at the House are now seeking ways to summon President Megawati for an explanation over her much-disputed visit, although Indonesia had already acknowledged East Timor's independence through the People's Consultative Assembly Decree No. 5/1999.
The visit of East Timor's president Xanana Gusmao was postponed for the time being by Indonesia, reportedly for scheduling and preparation reasons, on the same day that 30 legislators from seven House factions signed a decree to summon Megawati.
Around 2,000 people were killed during East Timor's 24-year integration with Indonesia, while more than 80 percent of the infrastructure was allegedly destroyed by prointegration militias who ran amok after being defeated in the ballot.