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.