Stately welcome for Xanana

When East Timor President Xanana Gusmao began his official visit in Indonesia on Tuesday, he was received with a red carpet welcome and full military honors fitting for all visiting heads of state. But Gusmao is no ordinary visitor. He is a special guest, and should be treated as such.

This is the first time that Gusmao, who served seven years in an Indonesian prison for fighting for the independence of East Timor, returned to Jakarta in his capacity as leader of his people. There are bound to be resentments, on both sides of the border, about his visit. How he handles his visit, and how Indonesia treats him, will determine the kind of relationship that the two countries will have in the years ahead.

Gusmao comes with an olive branch in his hand. Unlike many of his own countrymen, both within and outside his government and both within and outside his country, Gusmao has been leading the campaign to bury the ugly past between Indonesia and East Timor.

It is hard to believe that a man who once led the East Timor armed rebellion against the Indonesian military occupation is now leading the same people, not only to make peace with its former colonial masters, but also to seek cooperation with them. Were it not for Megawati Soekarnoputri's busy schedule, Indonesia would have become the first foreign country Gusmao visited after his inauguration and the inauguration of his independent country in May.

Such was the importance he attaches to Dili's relations with us that Indonesia should reciprocate his stately gestures.

Gusmao is a man who knows that the future of his country and of his people will inevitably be linked to their relationship with their giant neighbor, however ugly their past relationship may have been. And let's face it, Indonesia's occupation of East Timor between 1975 and 1999 was so brutal and traumatic that it would be difficult for anyone who survived the ordeal to forget.

This is a man who is guided by strong common sense and one who knows what is in the best interests of his people. Even though many East Timorese probably feel some animosity toward Indonesia, it nonetheless seems in everyone's best interest to eventually have a viable working relationship between both countries and sooner rather than later would be best. Resentment only can become a negative -- on both sides of the border -- but if all people can forgive and move on, the better it will be for East Timor in building, or rebuilding their nation.

But what is in it as far as Indonesia is concerned? Why should Indonesia take the trouble of forging relations with East Timor, considering all that it has lost, from money to its international standing, during the 24-year campaign to annex the territory?

Indonesia has everything to gain from forging a close and neighborly relationship with East Timor. To start with, Indonesia has a moral obligation to help the East Timorese people. Besides, this will help Indonesia repair its international reputation which has been damaged because of its past policy in East Timor.

A politically and economically stable East Timor will also be beneficial to Indonesia, particularly to East Nusa Tenggara province which borders with East Timor. The converse is also true: An unstable East Timor would be detrimental to Indonesia. But rather than invading and annexing the territory as we did in 1976, we should help East Timor stand on its own two feet.

Sure, there are many outstanding problems Indonesia and East Timor must address. Some Indonesian politicians, for example, would like to see Indonesia compensated for the assets left behind in East Timor. East Timor, for its part, has a rightful demand to see justice against people who perpetrated the violence in East Timor in 1999 before Indonesia ended its occupation.

These and many other issues must be addressed and tackled.

The ugly past will haunt our relationship for many years to come, but that is all the more reason why dialog is important. With the spirit of neighborliness, and the statesmanship shown by Gusmao, and hopefully by Indonesian leaders too, there are no bilateral problems that cannot be solved through dialog.

President Xanana Gusmao's visit is a step in the right direction.