RI wins another diplomatic battle over East Timor
JAKARTA (JP): The ongoing United Nations General Assembly has decided once again to defer a debate on East Timor to give a chance to Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to find a solution to the conflict between Indonesia and Portugal.
This is the 12th consecutive year that the debate on East Timor has been deferred, marking a diplomatic victory for Indonesia, which has been lobbying to strike the issue out of the UN agenda.
The decision was discussed and warmly welcomed by the monthly meeting on political and security affairs, which was attended here yesterday by Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman, Minister of Information Harmoko and the Minister of Defense and Security Edi Sudradjat.
The UN general committee whose task is to set the agenda for the 49th General Assembly session, on Sept. 21 unanimously agreed to postpone debate of issue Number 86 on the Question of East Timor until the UN's 50th session next year.
The former Portuguese colony of East Timor was integrated as Indonesia's 27th province in 1976. Despite the formal integration as Indonesia's youngest province, a number of countries led by Portugal continue to clamor over the matter in international forums.
The postponement, at the suggestion of France and seconded by Tunisia, was based on the report by the secretary general, which indicated improvement in the dialog between Indonesia and Portugal.
The bilateral talks have now reached their fourth phase. The last meeting in Geneva in May adopted yet more confidence building measures to facilitate a trusting atmosphere between the two sides. The next meeting is scheduled for January 1995 in New York.
Incidents
In Dili, Regional Military Commander Col. Kiki Syahnakri acknowledged reports that security forces had recently been involved in armed conflicts with Fretilin separatist guerrillas.
Syahnakri denied reports that up to four Indonesian security personnel had been killed in the incidents.
The director of foreign information at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Irawan Abidin yesterday confirmed that two minor "incidents" occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon near the city of Viqueque, 212 kilometers east of Dili.
The first incident occurred when a security patrol was engaged with Fretilin rebels outside Viqueque. One guerrilla was shot and killed. In the second incident, two guerrillas were killed.
Security forces found two more bodies, apparently from Tuesday's incident, on Wednesday afternoon.
"None of our personnel were killed in the incidents," Irawan stressed here yesterday, adding that security forces seized two rifles belonging to the guerrillas.
Despite their dwindling numbers, the Fretilin guerrillas have continued to oppose East Timor's integration into the Republic. Once a major force in the province, they have now been forced to seek refuge in the hills and conduct guerrilla excursions against Indonesian forces there.
Meanwhile, the National Commission on Human Rights ended its two-day fact finding mission to East Timor on Wednesday.
Lead by Secretary General Baharuddin Lopa, the commission met with both government and political leaders in East Timor, such as Governor Abilio Soares and Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo.
"We have come to East Timor to check and collect facts on the protection of human rights in East Timor," Baharuddin said.
He explained that the commission wanted to check for themselves the validity of allegations of human rights abuses in the province.
Clementino Amaral, an East Timorese member of the commission, said that the execution of human rights in East Timor is much better than in many other places in Indonesia.
The situation in East Timor is increasingly improving and far from the horrendous descriptions being spread abroad, he said. (mds/yac)