Mandela's peace efforts

South African President Nelson Mandela has proven himself to be not only one of the world's most respected freedom fighters but also a serious peacemaker. Mandela met with his Portuguese counterpart Jorge Sampaio in Pretoria yesterday to discuss efforts to find a peaceful settlement to the East Timor issue.

The meeting has long been suggested by his ruling African National Congress (ANC), which decided that South African foreign policy should be sensitive to human rights issues everywhere.

Whatever the motivation behind the Pretoria meeting, both Indonesia and Portugal want to see Mandela's efforts result in success and significantly contribute toward a negotiated settlement of the problem, which has dragged on for 22 years.

During his recent visit here, Mandela met with Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao, who is serving a 20-year jail term for leading an armed rebellion for a separate East Timor state. President Soeharto gave his blessing to the meeting, showing Indonesia's goodwill concerning the matter.

Three years ago Portugal urged the South African leader to contribute toward the solution of its conflict with Indonesia.

Indonesian and Portuguese ministers of foreign affairs, under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary General, have met nine times but failed to reach a concrete solution.

Given the complex nature of the Pretoria meeting and the fact it is not yet known how Mandela hopes to achieve a peaceful settlement, we understand how tough his job will be.

The conflicting parties are still nowhere near a peaceful solution. For Jakarta, the East Timor problem no longer exists since its people decided to integrate into Indonesia while Portugal has refused to recognize East Timor's integration and demands a referendum.

But judging Mandela's stature, charisma and personality as a freedom fighter, we have reason to be optimistic. The fact that both Portugal and Indonesia highly respect him will also work in his favor.

Since ANC has put the burden of solving the human rights problem on his shoulders we believe the first thing the South African leader should do is remind Portugal that he is a genuine freedom fighter.

He also has to remind Portugal about how bombastic its pro- human rights slogans are today, as one of the longest colonial powers ever in modern history.

We also understand that the former Portuguese colony has caused a lot of problems for Jakarta despite its development efforts there. Foreign countries continue to attack us over human rights in East Timor and the issue has profusely burdened our diplomats abroad.

The presentation of a Nobel Peace Prize to Jose Ramos-Horta, a gadfly who calls himself spokesman for East Timor separatist elements, has also worsened our image abroad.

Whether or not the diplomatic efforts proceed, the government should continue its efforts to consolidate development programs in the province. The authorities need an integral program which will meet the needs of the local people.

This will not only boost the welfare of the Timorese but also open the world's eyes to our efforts to modernize the province.