Mandela's puzzling E. Timor solution

President Mandela's state visit to Indonesia in early August was, of all the state visits made to this country so far, rather unusual.

During his visit Mandela had a meeting, arranged at his request, with Xanana Gusmao who is serving a 20 year jail term. Gusmao was imprisoned for forcibly resisting East Timor's integration with Indonesia and leading an outlawed, armed group in that province.

Soon after the completion of his Asian visit, Mandela sent a letter from South Africa to President Soeharto requesting Xanana's release.

The request was apparently based on his belief that Xanana's release would be instrumental in helping the tripartite dialogue on East Timor, under the auspices of the UN secretary-general, to find a solution to the East Timor problem.

One could validly wonder what kind of solution Mandela has in mind. What would be the relation between Xanana's release from prison on the one hand, and a solution to the East Timor problem, on the other?

We seem to be facing a highly mathematics puzzle posed by Mandela.

Regardless of the answer to the above question, one could certainly infer that, in Mandela's view, Xanana Gusmao is not a criminal convict but a political prisoner jailed for his political convictions.

Why did president Mandela, in the first place, request Xanana's release? Why does he attach so much importance to Xanana and his release? Was the request made with his own initiative or at a third party's prodding?

First of all, there seems to be a direct relation between Mandela's request and Ramos Horta's selection as a Nobel Prize laureate for peace (along with Bishop Belo) in November last year.

The conferment of the award to Ramos Horta was, in my opinion, a slap in our face (almost literally). We cannot, however, blame the remote demigods, the distinguished members of the Nobel Prize Board, for not having had the time to listen to us.

President Mandela is probably considered by many to be the right person to make such a request for Xanana's release. He is the living symbol of non-violent resistance to a system of injustice and oppression and racial arrogance.

He emerged victorious without the slightest trace of vengeance and animosity toward the white supremacists, those who incarcerated him for 27 years. And South Africa is the most economically advanced country in the region, which can hopefully act as a "locomotive" in the region's economies.

Yet, South Africa under a resistant Mandela has opted for membership in the club of developing countries (NAM). South Africa is, therefore, bound to be a member if not the natural leader of black African countries, at least during Mandela's presidency.

Hence, Mandela's request for Xanana's release probably also conveys the voice of 40-odd black African countries.

The notion widely held among black African political elites on East Timor anti-integration groups has probably been based on erroneous analysis and factitious reports.

Black African leaders, because of their apparently inborn sympathy and solidarity with any groups calling themselves national liberation movements, should be given more time to hear the other side.

SOEGIO SOSROSOEMARTO

Jakarta