Timorese leaders hail Soeharto-Guterres meet
Timorese leaders hail Soeharto-Guterres meet
JAKARTA (JP): Two senior East Timorese politicians yesterday
welcomed the meeting between President Soeharto and Portuguese
Prime Minister Antonio Guterres, saying that the event raised
hopes for a diplomatic solution to the East Timor question.
F.X. Lopez da Cruz, the roving ambassador for East Timor, and
Clementino dos Reis Amaral, a member of the National Commission
on Human Rights, said the meeting would pave the way to the
reopening of Indonesian-Portuguese diplomatic ties.
Soeharto and Guterres met briefly after dinner on the eve of
the Asia-Europe Meeting in Bangkok on Thursday. Guterres
suggested that the two countries reopen diplomatic ties, severed
20 years ago, but also demanded that Indonesia release all East
Timor political prisoners, particularly Jose Alexandre "Xanana"
Gusmao. Lopez and Amaral admitted that Guterres' demand was hard
to meet but the matter is up to President Soeharto to decide.
They also support Guterres' proposal that Indonesia should
improve its human rights record in East Timor.
Lopez asked why Guterres should link the noble purpose of
reopening diplomatic ties with the release of Xanana, who is
serving a 20 year jail term in Jakarta for heading an armed
rebellion in East Timor.
"Xanana is not a political prisoner as foreigners think. He is
in jail for murder and other criminal acts," he said.
Xanana, leader of the separatist Fretilin movement, was
sentenced to life imprisonment. This was commuted to 20 years in
1993.
Amaral said that the release of Xanana would have consequences
both at home and on the diplomatic front.
"If Xanana is freed, other detainees would demand the same. It
would also create legal complications because he was sentenced as
a criminal," he said.
As for Guterres' demand for better respect for human rights in
East Timor, Amaral said Indonesia has no reason to reject.
"I fully agree. This condition should be met," he said. "We
should not hesitate to admit human right abuses. Even champions
of democracy like America violate basic rights."
But in his opinion, the best way forward would be for
Indonesia and Portugal to reopen their embassies while continuing
talks to settle the international status of East Timor.
While Jakarta insisted that East Timor is an inseparable part
of Indonesia, the United Nations continues to regard Lisbon as
the administrative power.
Amaral reiterated his long-standing proposal that East Timor
be given special status in Indonesia due to its peculiar
historical and cultural background.
"I believe that such a special status would go a long way to
satisfy East Timorese wishes that their cultural identity be
respected," he said. (pan)