Indonesia warned to maintain security in East Timor
JAKARTA (JP): International warnings against the inaction to quell violence in East Timor took a bolder tone on Monday as a United Nations envoy said Indonesia failed to maintain security in the territory, while Australian troops readied for deployment.
The UN Secretary-General's special envoy for East Timor, Jamsheed Marker, urged Jakarta to immediately act to stop the violence in East Timor.
"We have made it very clear that the Indonesian government has failed in its responsibility to maintain adequate security," Marker told journalists at the State Guest House, adding that the current situation was "unacceptable".
Marker said he would also bring up suspicion of collusion and cooperation between the police and the militias running amok in East Timor.
The UN envoy also confirmed that the UN Security Council would send a delegation to Indonesia to discuss peace efforts.
Australia, which has proposed the possibility of a small international force going into East Timor, put its combat troops on high alert for possible duty in East Timor.
"We're advancing readiness to 24 hours for some elements of the forces in northern Australia," Australian defense minister John Moore told AFP in Canberra.
He said the new alert would affect troops in Darwin and Townsville, adding that Australia would keep sending military aircraft to East Timor on Tuesday to evacuate Australian and nonessential UN staff.
He said the raised state of readiness would increase Australia's options if security in East Timor continued to deteriorate.
But Moore stressed Australia would only send troops to East Timor with Indonesia's approval and as part of a larger United Nations force.
United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright also warned on Monday that Indonesia had to deal with the violence or let the international community be of assistance.
Speaking during a two-day trip to Vietnam, Albright was quoted by Reuters as saying: "We obviously are very concerned about the violence... and made clear our displeasure with what is going on".
Indonesia has so far rejected the idea of an international peacekeeping force saying that security remains the responsibility of the Indonesian military until East Timor is formally separated from the republic.
Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio called on Monday for immediate UN intervention: "The international community is confronted with a dramatic chaos".
Xanana
Meanwhile back in Jakarta, Minister of Justice/State Secretary Muladi and jailed East Timorese proindependence leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao failed to agree on the time and manner of the latter's planned release.
Xanana was brought from his special detention house in Central Jakarta to the justice ministry late Monday to discuss the details of his release.
The government said it plans to release Xanana, who is serving a 20-year jail term for armed rebellion, on Wednesday and will fly him to East Timor's capital of Dili.
"I have not yet decided ... and I have told the minister that I will decide on Wednesday," Xanana told journalists when asked about his release.
Muladi, who was also present, said the decision as to where and how Xanana would be released had yet to be made and that Xanana would have to discuss it first with his lawyer.
"We can not take the decision hastily ... if he is freed, he should feel secure," Muladi said.
The government initially planned to hand Xanana over to UNAMET officials in Dili, but Xanana's lawyer, Hendardi, said earlier on Monday that it was too dangerous as he would be a target of the militias.
Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer on Monday evening offered a haven in Australia if Xanana wished.
"If he wants to come to Australia for a period of safety, then that's an option for him," Downer told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. television. (prb/byg)