Indonesia warned to maintain security in East Timor
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)