RI-Portugal friendly game sought

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has suggested one of Portugal's top soccer teams comes here for a friendly match as part of the efforts to help the two countries accelerate their talks on restoring diplomatic links.

State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Agung Laksono said yesterday he had extended the invitation to his Portuguese counterpart during an international ministerial meeting on youth affairs in Lisbon recently.

"I also spoke to President Jorge Sampaio. I said that we wanted one of Portugal's best soccer teams, either Benfica of Porto FC, to play in Indonesia, hopefully not later than the end of this year," Agung said.

"I hope this proposal will be responded to positively, because we basically have agreed to improve our bilateral relations."

Jakarta and Lisbon froze diplomatic ties following the integration of East Timor, once a Portuguese colony, into Indonesia in 1976.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and his Portuguese counterpart Jaime Gama agreed in United Nations-sponsored talks in New York early this month to hold in-depth discussions on Indonesia's proposals for "special status, based on a wide- ranging autonomy" for East Timor. (yan)