Jakarta, Dili begin high-level talks
Jakarta, Dili begin high-level talks
Agencies, Jakarta
Officials from Indonesia and its former province of East Timor
began two-day, high-level talks on Friday, the second such
meeting since the territory became independent in May 2002.
East Timor Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri opened the Joint
Commission meeting in Dili, which is expected to discuss issues
including territorial borders, legal matters, finance, trade,
education, culture, transportation and communications.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan
Wirayuda met his East Timorese counterpart Jose Ramos-Horta and
began talks behind closed doors on various residual issues of the
separation.
Hassan is also slated to meet with East Timor President Xanana
Gusmao, Alkatiri and Parliamentary Speaker Francisco Guterres.
In exchange, East Timor Commander of the Defense Forces Brig.
Gen. Taur Matan Ruak visited Jakarta on Friday to meet with his
Indonesian counterpart Gen. Endriartono Sutarto.
However, Endriartono failed to show and did not send any
official explanation for his behavior.
"It is necessary to create a conducive political climate so
that (East Timor) can continue to develop," Director General for
Asia, Pacific and Africa Makarim Wibisono of the Indonesian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs was quoted as saying by Associated
Press.
The agenda for the talks will also include the repatriation of
remaining East Timorese refugees, who crossed into Indonesian-run
West Timor, he said.
Indonesia will also seek compensation for its nationals who
lost property in East Timor when it withdrew in 1999.
East Timorese officials say they want to discuss several
issues including property rights and pensions for East Timorese,
joint border patrols on land and sea and unfettered access to
Oecussi, an isolated enclave inside Indonesia that belongs to
East Timor.
The two-day meeting is to end today and is expected to yield
various agreements to settle the residual issues.
The two neighboring countries have been striving to settle
many of these problems after a violent separation following the
1999 UN-sponsored referendum for an independent East Timor.
The Indonesian Military (TNI)-backed East Timorese militia was
accused of earth scorching and gross human rights violations
during the mayhem of 1999.
Indonesia was once put under international scrutiny to send
its TNI officers to the International Court of Justice to be
tried over these violations.
However, citing the importance of its post-independence
relationship with Indonesia, East Timor said it preferred to move
forward and concentrate on the future of the two countries.
During the first joint commission meeting in October 2002, the
two governments agreed to establish border markets and to draft a
regulation to accommodate the border-crossing tradition of people
living in the area.