New development on Timor?

A sentence contained in an official bulletin Buletino Sala della Sanat Sede issued by the Vatican information office has led some observers to think that a new development has come with regard to the East Timor problem. The sentence in question reads: "East Timor, the former Portuguese colony, was integrated into the Republic of Indonesia on July 17, 1976, and thereby became that country's 27th province."

Considering the careful phrasing and the date of integration mentioned, it appears the statement was formulated for the exact purpose of providing more room for Indonesia to pursue its diplomatic offensive. This is also evident given the bulletin was issued to the press only after it received the accreditation of the Holy See.

This development is important now that Indonesia has been able to regain its diplomatic momentum after the controversy surrounding the 1996 Nobel Peace prize awarded to the bishop of Dili, Carlos Ximenes Belo, and the anti-integrationist leader Ramos Horta.

Indonesia's diplomatic position regarding this matter does not question the awarding of the Nobel prize to Bishop Belo, but regards Ramos Horta's award as being politically motivated. Indonesia has won the support of not only ASEAN and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), but also that of Japan, as was reflected by Prime Minister Hashimoto's refusal to meet Ramos Horta.

Now we have this heartening piece of news from the Vatican. Although the exact meaning of the sentence as contained in the Vatican bulletin still has to be diplomatically verified, this development nevertheless allows us to continue our diplomatic offensive and follow up this new attitude of the Vatican with concrete measures.

-- Republika, Jakarta