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.