Portugal rejects helping Santana

Portugal rejects helping Santana

LISBON (Reuter): Portugal has rejected a plea from Timorese resistance leader Konis Santana for support in the armed struggle against Indonesia, but has given a cautious welcome to Santana's proposal for partial autonomy in the restive territory.

In a statement released late on Saturday, the government said any support for the armed resistance would be incompatible with Portugal's status as administering power of its former colony which was integrated as part of Indonesia in 1976.

However, the government said Santana's proposal for autonomy in East Timor along the lines of Puerto Rico should be taken into consideration.

"The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan will surely not fail to take (this proposal) into account," the statement said.

In a message supposedly recorded in the mountains of East Timor and broadcast on Portuguese television on Friday, Santana said his movement would accept the transformation of East Timor into a state associated with Indonesia, in the same way as Puerto Rico is linked to the United States.

Puerto Rico has almost total autonomy with just foreign relations and defense the province of the U.S. government.

"We take the view that any solution which gives the people of East Timor the right to exercise self-determination is acceptable," Santana said. "Puerto Rico forms a viable working model."

Santana called for his movement to be incorporated into the Portuguese army.

The United Nations has not recognized East Timor's integration as Indonesia's 27th province and considers Portugal the administering power there.