The Soeharto-Guterres encounter

The Soeharto-Guterres encounter

An important event has occurred in Indonesia-Portuguese
relations. In Bangkok, Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Guterres
met with President Soeharto.

Relations between the two countries soured some 20 years ago
after East Timor's integration into Indonesia. That process
occurred after Portugal hastily abandoned its colony of East
Timor, leaving behind a state of chaos.

As far as Indonesia is concerned, the process occurred
lawfully and in accordance with the wishes of the people of East
Timor. A different position is taken by Portugal, which does not
want to lose face.

The casual atmosphere in Bangkok melted the ice between the
two countries. Guterres, quite unexpectedly, approached President
Soeharto and asked for a meeting. In that meeting Guterres
offered not to raise the East Timor issue at the Asia-Europe
Summit Meeting (ASEM), agreed to the setting up by both of
representative offices in third-country embassies in each other's
capital, and requested the release of Xanana, who has been
sentenced to a 20-year prison term.

Guterres's move could well have been caused by pressure from
other European countries not to raise the East Timor issue at the
ASEM forum. If this is true, it means that Guterres has been
quite smart, turning a disadvantage into an opportunity, although
his offer actually contained anything new.

But whatever the reason, Guterres's offer has given the
diplomatic war between Indonesia and Portugal a new subtlety.

Even so, the move will not gain Portugal anything unless it is
willing to take steps that are more in accordance with existing
realities.

-- Republika, Jakarta