Prayers for Austria talks

Prayers for Austria talks

DILI, East Timor: Churchgoers say that for the past two weeks they have been praying for the success of the upcoming All Inclusive Intra-East Timor dialog to be held in Austria this month.

The meeting, to take place between June 2 and June 6 in the Austrian town of Burg Schlaining Schloss, aims to achieve a reconciliation between East Timorese who oppose the province's integration into Indonesia with those who oppose it. The integration took place in 1975 after a civil war in the former Portugese colony.

"We pray for those who will attend the meeting; that it will bring us justice and (better) future," local resident Jose Marluis said. "We pray that people who hunger for power won't be able to cause the East Timorese to be divided."

Marluis said that priests and nuns had called on their congregations to pray that the meeting would be successful.

"Otherwise it will be us, the common people, who will keep on suffering," Marluis said. (yac/swe)