Rival factions sign accord for campaign
DILI, East Timor (JP): Rival factions in East Timor on Monday signed a 27-point code of conduct banning violence and intimidation in the campaign ahead of the Aug. 30 self- determination direct ballot.
The code of conduct was signed by chairman of the Forum for Unity, Democracy and Justice (FPDK) and Dili district head Domingos M.D. Soares, as the representatives of the proautonomy camp, while coordinator of the Resistance Council of East Timor (CNRT), Leandro Isaac, represented the proindependence group.
The United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) head Ian Martin also signed the document.
The code of conduct guarantees that all participants shall enjoy the fundamental right to a fair ballot, including the freedom to campaign, and that they shall respect the rights and freedom of all other participants to campaign and disseminate political ideas and principles without fear.
It states that in the campaign all participants will not be allowed to carry guns or weapons of any kind to political rallies and public meetings.
"They (the participants) will also not be allowed to kill, torture, injure, apply violence, intimidate or threaten any person in connection with that person's political beliefs, words, writing or action," the code says.
The campaign period will start on Saturday and end on Aug. 27. During the two-day cooling-off period of Aug. 28 to Aug. 29, the public will not be allowed to hold any campaigns, the code says.
"We call on all parties to abide by the code, not only the two parties, but also the people and UNAMET staffers, to make the campaign run as well as hoped," Soares said.
In the signing, the party symbols were also launched. The proautonomy group presented its symbol of East Timor with a red- and-white flag over it, while the proindependence party presented its symbol of East Timor with the CNRT flag on it.
Martin said any contravention to the code of conduct would be taken into account by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan when he makes a decision on whether to ratify the ballot result.
"We hope the spirit will continue to make the ballot run well and peacefully," Martin said.
Isaac said there would be no peace in the territory without a fair solution to the problem and no fair solution without peace.
Separately, East Timor Police chief Col. Timbul Silaen also signed Practical Arrangements Regarding Working Relations with chief of UN Civilian Police Alan Mills on Monday.
"The Police of Indonesia, in discharging its duty to maintain security and enforce the law, shall seriously regard the advice and counsel provided by the UN Civilian Police," the document said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas described statements made by East Timor's proindependence leaders that East Timorese would vote overwhelmingly for independence as a "myth".
Alatas, in Manila to receive diplomatic honors from Philippine President Joseph Estrada, also voiced hopes that armed groups supporting independence or autonomy for the Jakarta-ruled territory would be disarmed before the Aug. 30 vote.
"There has been a myth going on for a long time that 90 percent of the people in East Timor, if given a chance, would choose independence and only five percent would choose autonomy," Alatas told Reuters.
Ramos-Horta, the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, predicted in Manila last month that more than 90 percent of East Timorese would vote to break away from Indonesia if they were given a chance to freely express their wishes.
Meanwhile, the foreign affairs ministry said on Monday it believed it was possible East Timor would vote for autonomy under Jakarta rather than independence.
Citing the ministry's estimates of supporters, a spokesman put the number of proautonomy East Timorese at 193,000 compared to 187,000 against.
"My own assessment is that there is a slim difference. However, we are a little optimistic with this figure," spokesman Sulaiman Abdulmanan told a media briefing in Jakarta.
East Timor's Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) chairman Abdullah Sagran predicted at least 10,000 Muslims would participate in the direct ballot. He urged the Muslims to vote for the best choice as it would determine their own future.
Meanwhile, presidential hopeful Megawati Soekarnoputri arrived in Dili on Sunday night for a brief trip to meet with her supporters in Dili and Suai regencies.
In her rare speech last month, Megawati assured that she would respect the East Timorese decision on the future, but criticized President B.J. Habibie for the "unconstitutional" decision to let the province separate from Indonesia. (33/byg/prb)