Ministerial delegation to visit East Timor
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In a sign of good will to build a good relationship with the new state of East Timor, a high-powered delegation is leaving for Dili on Friday to discuss various bilateral issues.
Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said after a meeting with Vice President Hamzah Haz on Thursday that he would lead a team of six ministers for a one-day working visit to the country's former province.
"The visit is an expression of the Indonesian government's good will to maintain a good relationship with East Timor," Hari said during a press briefing.
The visit may be viewed as another expression of defiance by President Megawati Soekarnoputri against the House of Representatives (DPR) which has planned to summon her for participating in East Timor's independence celebration on May 20.
Other ministers who will visit East Timor on Saturday are Minister of National Education Abdul Malik Fajar, Minister of Industry and Trade Rini Soewandi, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro, Minister of Transportation Agum Gumelar and Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah.
The delegation will hold a meeting with East Timor President Xanana Gusmao, Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri and other ministers.
According to Hari, the visit would focus on economic relations between the two countries as Indonesia was planning to take the lead in trade and other economic sectors in the former Portuguese colony.
The ambitious efforts seem natural as East Timor is surrounded by Indonesia.
Minister Purnomo said Indonesia had electricity and fuel installations in East Timor which would facilitate the possible sale of energy there.
"We can put to maximum use the installations by selling energy and fuel to East Timor," Purnomo said, adding that his department was still registering the number of installations still intact there.
Minister Rini, meanwhile, said that Indonesia would try to boost trade volume between the two countries which currently stands at between US$3 million to US$5 million.
"We control mostly household products and we are aiming at further cooperation in coffee trading," Rini said.
The visit would also discuss lingering issues such as East Timor refugees in makeshift camps in West Timor, borders, and Indonesian assets in the territory.
Asked if the visit would open new confrontation with the House, Hari said there was no reason for another conflict as the visit was still within the constitutional mandate of keeping good relations with neighboring countries.
"The Vice President told us that we should not be too emotional about the past," Hari said.
East Timor was Indonesia's 27th province for more than two decades until 1999 when its population voted to breakaway from the country in a United Nations-organized referendum.
Despite strong opposition from legislators, Megawati went to East Timor on May 19 to attend the country's declaration of independence early May 20.
Some lawmakers submitted in May a petition to House leaders to force Megawati to explain her participation in East Timor's independence celebration.