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)