NGO says East Timor should be military-free
NGO says East Timor should be military-free
JAKARTA (JP): The government should change the way it governs
East Timor and declare the province a military-free zone,
according to a group of activists campaigning for peace in the
troubled province.
Solidamor, a non-governmental organization concerned with East
Timor, issued the statement on Wednesday.
"Increased international pressure is expected to help reach a
peaceful settlement in the former Portuguese colony," read the
statement signed by the group's chairman, Bonar Tigor Naipospos.
Solidamor is among groups that have accused the military of
staging a withdrawal of troops last year to mislead the
international community. The groups allege that the military has
since covertly build up its forces in the province, an accusation
the government has persistently denied.
On Tuesday, Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer said
that his government backed a political settlement that could put
East Timor on the road to independence. The statement came as a
marked to change to Australia's previous stance on East Timor,
under which it supported only limited autonomy for the province.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gaffar
Fadhyl, said that Indonesia deeply regretted Australia's change
of policy.
He said the decision would prejudice negotiations between
Indonesia and Portugal which are currently taking place under the
auspices of the United Nations.
Solidamor issued their statement during a discussion of a 1987
autobiography of Jose Ramos Horta, which the organization
recently published in Indonesian. Horta, a leading figure in the
East Timorese independence movement and joint winner of the 1997
Nobel Peace prize, originally published the book in English under
the title Funu: Unfinished Saga of East Timor.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, a visiting delegation from the United
States congress emerged from a meeting with President B.J.
Habibie to say that it supported a "comprehensive" settlement to
the troubles in East Timor which was "acceptable to all parties
concerned," Antara reported. (01)