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