Jakarta, Dili has out remaining issues
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia and East Timor have identified a number of residual problems that they will attempt to resolve following the new country's independence which was finally declared on May 20, 2002.
The remaining unresolved problems since East Timor's decision to separate from Indonesia were discussed in a day-long parallel meeting between the two countries' high-powered officials in Dili on Saturday.
Indonesian representative in East Timor Kristio Wahyono said that Saturday's meeting was not planned to conclude anything but simply to identify a number of problems that were expected to be resolved during the incoming visit of East Timor President Alessandro Xanana Gusmao to Jakarta.
"This meeting is just more informal and personal than formal because we had a lot of problems that need to be dealt with soon to allow the two countries to enter a new phase of their good ties," he told The Jakarta Post by telephone after the Indonesian delegation's meeting with East Timor leaders in Dili on Saturday.
Kristio cited problems that needed to be urgently solved were Indonesia's assets in the province, the pension of former East Timorese servicemen, the two countries' border areas, East Timorese taking refuge in West Timor and East Timor students studying in Indonesia with scholarships from the government.
The three Indonesian ministers -- Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno, Minister of Industry and Trade Rini Soewandi and State Minister for Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah-- returned to Jakarta late on Saturday.
Kristio said further that East Timor officials welcomed, with a warm greeting, the Indonesian delegation and President Xanana Gusmao even delayed his visit to Australia until Sunday to meet the Indonesian delegation.
Assets remain as one of the contentious issues in the meeting between Indonesian delegation led by Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno and President Xanana, Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri.
"We will set up a joint committee to look into the issue of assets in more detail," Hari, a former army general, told reporters after meeting Alkatiri, adding that Indonesia will abide by international conventions on the issue.
East Timor Parliament Chairman Fransisco "Lu Olo" Guterres hailed the Indonesian delegation's visit as a "milestone" marking a good start in the two countries' relations.
"We are looking forward to cooperation with Indonesia. After independence good relations with Indonesia are all the more important," Guterres said as quoted by Agence France-Presse after the meeting.
Despite the negative impacts of the violence that followed the 1999 self-determination vote, in which residents of the then Indonesian province voted for independence, both sides yesterday expressed positive gestures and a willingness to discuss many of the lingering problems.
Rogerio Lobato, East Timor's home affairs minister, said his country's position on the asset issue would be in line with the constitution and the joint committee would probably be established as soon as possible.
On the talks, the two sides agreed that they will finalize the discussion of the joint committee during the planned state visit of Xanana to Jakarta later this month.
"On the planned visit of President Xanana, there will be more talks and hopefully more issues will be concluded," Kristio said.
Australia will be the first country President Xanana visits as the new head of state, after Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri failed to find time for Xanana to come to Jakarta.