Indonesia urged to speed up repatriation of East Timorese

JAKARTA (JP): Visiting United States Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke in a meeting with President Abdurrahman Wahid on Saturday urged Indonesia to accelerate the repatriation of East Timorese refugees still camped in East Nusa Tenggara.

Holbrooke, who arrived here earlier in the morning, said he would be heading to the East Nusa Tenggara provincial capital of Kupang on Sunday and visiting Atambua near the East Timor border where many refugees are located.

He will go to Dili on Monday to meet with East Timor leaders and UN personnel there before leaving the territory on Tuesday.

"We are very concerned about it but would rather reserve our judgment until we get there," Holbrooke said of the refugee situation.

Over 200,000 refugees are still living in various camps in the Indonesian province.

Holbrooke is the first U.S. official to meet Abdurrahman in Jakarta following the latter's meeting with President Bill Clinton in Washington last week.

Clinton also raised the refugee question, and Abdurrahman asked for assistance in sending back the refugees to their homeland by providing air transportation.

The President has assigned Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri to visit the refugee camps on Wednesday before a scheduled visit by East Timor leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao later this month.

International organizations and human rights activists have repeatedly accused prointegration militias of intimidating refugees against returning to East Timor.

Many claim that the Indonesia security forces were not doing enough to stop the activities of the militias.

Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Gen. Wiranto insisted on Saturday that the Indonesian Military (TNI) had disarmed the militias and would not allow them to use the border area as a base to destabilize East Timor.

"We have told them (the militias) to return to East Timor and establish their own political parties and compete with other parties in general elections there," Wiranto said after attending a Cabinet meeting at Bina Graha presidential office.

During the 60-minute meeting with Abdurrahman, Holbrooke was accompanied by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Stanley Roth, while the President was accompanied by State Minister of Human Rights Affairs Hasballah M. Saad.

Apart from the refugee problem, Holbrooke also raised the Aceh issue and asked about the government's intention to uphold democracy and the rule of law.

"It is great to come to a democratic Indonesia where the leadership is freely chosen," Holbrooke remarked.

Apart from Abdurrahman, Holbrooke also met on Saturday with Megawati, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Shihab and Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono. (prb)