Lisbon, Jakarta agree to continue Timor talks

Lisbon, Jakarta agree to continue Timor talks

UNITED NATIONS (AP): Portugal and Indonesia agreed Friday to continue talks next month at the "senior official" level in hopes of building momentum to resolve the 22-year dispute over East Timor.

The decision was announced at the end of two days of talks by the foreign ministers of Portugal and Indonesia, the first under UN auspices since Kofi Annan became secretary-general last January.

UN special envoy Jamsheed Marker of Pakistan told reporters the two sides agreed to resume talks at a "working level" July 28. He also said the two would push for separate discussions among various East Timorese factions in August.

Marker refused to say whether the United Nations had offered concrete proposals. Marker said both sides "maintained their positions" during the two-day session. But both sides expressed satisfaction with the course of the latest contacts.

Before the talks began Thursday, UN officials said such an agreement to continue the discussions at a "senior official level" would be the best, most realistic outcome expected from the talks.

"We found the discussions very productive," Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said. "They were very productive, they were held in a good atmosphere, and we hope the groundwork now has been laid for intensive discussions at the senior official level to find a just, comprehensive and internationally acceptable solution."

Portuguese Foreign Minister Jamie Gama said he was pleased that the Indonesians had agreed to another round of the "All- Inclusive Intra-East Timorese Talks" as soon as possible. Austria has offered to host them.

"We hope through this new engagement of the United Nations we can now ...come to progressive steps in order to get a solution or possible solutions and that taking account the interests of the East Timorese can be accommodated," Gama said.

Gama said the July talks would include such issues as human rights and "all the matters relating to the territory in a broad point of view."

"Nothing is excluded," Gama added.