RI agrees to vote on E. Timor's future

RI agrees to vote on E. Timor's future

JAKARTA (JP): In a move Portuguese foreign minister Jaime Gama
called "face-saving for everybody", Indonesian Minister of
Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas announced in New York on Sunday that
Indonesia accepted the idea of a UN-organized "popular
consultation" of the East Timorese in voting on the territory's
future.

The vote will be held by the end of August after Indonesia and
Portugal agree, "by April at the latest", on a package setting
out wide-ranging autonomy for the territory as a final solution,
AFP reported from UN headquarters.

East Timorese will be asked to vote to accept or reject the
package, effectively translating into a choice to remain part of
Indonesia or break away.

Alatas said Indonesia wanted all East Timorese -- including
100,000 in exile -- to vote by the end of August, when members of
the House of Representatives/People's Consultative Assembly are
scheduled to take office after the June general election.

If the East Timorese reject the package, the Assembly, which
is the country's highest law-making body, would revoke the 1976
integration decree, and Indonesia and East Timor would "part
ways", Alatas said.

In that event, Alatas added, Portugal -- as the troubled
territory's administering power -- and the UN would be in charge
of its transition to independence.

Armed Forces (ABRI) troops would be withdrawn by that point,
he said.

Commenting on the latest policy shift, Gama was quoted as
saying: "It's face-saving for everybody... face-saving for
Indonesia, for us and for the Timorese."

The talks under the UN auspices are being held in the
framework of UN-sponsored autonomy negotiations for East Timor.
Previous talks skirted the thorny issue of final status.

It was also reported the Indonesian proposal for UN-organized
"ballots" met demands from Lisbon, the former colonial power in
the province, that the East Timorese vote in a referendum on
their future.

Gama was confident Indonesia knew it would lose the autonomy
plebiscite by a "wide margin", and that the independence option
would be inevitable.

It was also reported that Gama asked UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan on Sunday to prepare the UN for the transition period
because he expected rejection of the autonomy package.

Gama also said a UN mission in the territory would need
civilian, police and security components.

Portugal, other European Union countries and Australia would
be prepared to contribute to the UN mission, Gama claimed,
without mentioning figures.

Meanwhile, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Subagyo H.S. visited the
East Timor capital Dili on Monday, accompanied by National Police
chief Gen. Roesmanhadi, chief of the Army Strategic Reserves
Command Lt. Gen. Djamari Chaniago, chief of the Army Special
Force Maj. Gen. Syahrir MS and others.

They were met at Comoro Airport by local military chief Col.
Tono Suratman, Dili Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo and
chairman of provincial office of Indonesian Council of Ulemas
(MUI) Abdullah Sagran.

In an address later at the local Army garrison in Taibesi,
Subagyo told his soldiers to protect and love the local people to
win them over to the military.

"If we could be polite, friendly and be models for modesty and
that if we could protect women as well as not hurt the people...
the people will be able to accept us. So, for all the past things
we have done, there could have been mistakes, and let us be
introspective," he said.

ABRI has 13,000 personnel in the territory of 800,000 people.
(33/aan)