Jakarta awaits report on EU aid to East Timor

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia welcomes and awaits further reports on the European Union plan to send development aid directly to East Timor, Antara quoted an official saying yesterday.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Ghaffar Fadhyl said that, in principle, Indonesia welcomes all aid aimed at improving the welfare of East Timorese, but wants to be consulted beforehand.

"All foreign aid has to be channeled in accordance with existing procedures," Ghaffar said.

Ghaffar's was a softer stance than that of Indonesian ambassador to Brussels, Poedji Koentarso. In a letter to Irish Foreign Minister Dick Spring, whose country is currently European Union president, Poedji urged the Union not to interfere in East Timor.

Poedji warned that European measures there could have "grave repercussions".

Concrete proposal

"The advocacy of the European Union for concrete proposals could have grave consequences that could exacerbate, rather than serve, the cause of East Timor," Poedji wrote, reported Reuters.

The ambassador said any EU proposals, which an Irish diplomat said would focus on development projects such as building primary schools, could jeopardize current tripartite talks on East Timor between Portugal, Indonesia and the United Nations.

"Outside intervention...may serve the interests of Portugal but could undermine, with grave repercussions, the very principle of the talks," the letter said.

At a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Portugal invited the European Commission, the Union's executive arm, to draw up concrete proposals for development aid to East Timor, which has a population of some 900,000.

In a brief statement EU foreign ministers expressed support for the tripartite talks, scheduled to resume next month, and said they hoped there would be tangible progress.

Lisbon has suggested the EU could help fund projects to improve drinking water supplies and, more controversially, to promote indigenous East Timorese culture in schools.

Irish sources said the ministers had ignored the Indonesian protest. "The reply to the letter was given when the ministers agreed to mandate the commission to draft proposals," one said. (swe)