Soeharto's offer on E. Timor gets mixed reactions

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto's offer to hold reconciliatory talks with exiled East Timorese opposing the integration of their homeland with Indonesia met mixed reactions from politicians yesterday.

The President said on Thursday that he would be pleased to meet in Indonesia with anti-integration groups to deepen mutual understanding and accelerate a solution to the East Timorese question in international forums.

He made the remarks when meeting with the ambassador-at-large in charge of East Timor affairs, F.X. Lopez da Cruz, who reported to him on his recent reconciliatory talks with a Portugal-based anti-integration group in London.

East Timor integrated with Indonesia in 1976 after the abrupt withdrawal of the Portuguese colonial administration that triggered a civil war. The United Nations has yet to recognize it as part of Indonesia.

Hailing the President's move was Salvador Januario Ximenes Soares, a member of the House of Representatives (DPR) from East Timor, who took part in the London meeting.

"Although it is unclear what President Soeharto has in mind about the anti-integration groups, the maneuver gives a new dimension to the efforts to seek a solution to the East Timorese problem," he told The Jakarta Post.

He said he was surprised when hearing news about Soeharto's maneuver and wondered why it should be the President himself who wanted to meet with the East Timorese in exile.

He said a thorough solution to the East Timor question could be speeded up only if the indigenous community leaders, like Roman Catholic Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, were involved in the process.

Talks

He added that reconciliatory talks should be held with all anti-integration groups in exile otherwise they would not be effective.

Currently there are four such groups led by Abilio Araujo, Jose Ramos Horta, Jose Guiterez and Joao Carrascalao. Araujo, whose group is based in Portugal, is known as the most moderate and has taken part in reconciliatory talks twice with ambassador Lopez.

Antonio Freitas Parada, chairman of the East Timor provincial legislative council, opposed Soeharto's move, saying that it would be "improper" to personally hold talks with anti- integration group's leaders like that of Ramos Horta.

"Ramos Horta has no right to claim that he represents the East Timorese people," he said. "He would surely exploit such a meeting for his personal and Portugal's interests rather than for the sake of the East Timorese people."

He added that the East Timor governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares was also opposed to such a meeting for similar reasons. (pan/yac)