TNI offers to work with East Timor

TNI offers to work with East Timor

Ian Timberlake, Agence France-Presse, Jakarta

The Indonesian Military (TNI) has offered to cooperate with its
former adversaries in the East Timor Defense Force in areas such
as training, an East Timor embassy official said Saturday after a
meeting between commanders of the two armed forces.

The offer came late Friday during 90 minutes of talks between
TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto and Brig. Gen. Taur Matan
Ruak, commander of the small East Timor military force, said
Juvencio Martins, counselor at the East Timor embassy.

"It was very fruitful," Martins said of the meeting. "It was
very friendly."

Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda was separately in
the East Timor capital, Dili, for two days of high-level talks
aimed at enhancing mutual co-operation in other sectors. Those
talks ended Saturday morning.

Endriartono was "happy to help" the 1,500-member East Timor
Defence Force and would ask his staff to work with East Timor's
embassy to determine the most appropriate assistance, Martins
said.

The commanders talked generally about training assistance, he
said.

Ruak was formerly a commander in the Falintil rebel army that
fought Indonesia's 24-year occupation of East Timor. The
occupation ended in October, 1999, after East Timor voted
overwhelmingly to separate from its neighbor.

Both Indonesia and East Timor say they have put the past
behind them and are now focusing on cooperation.

Ruak said about 10 countries had offered support for East
Timor's army.

"And he said, 'Why not do the same with our friends from
Indonesia?'" Martins told AFP.

Endriartono told Ruak the two nations had "a bitter past" but
that the former rebel's visit "was a sign of friendship and a
sign of goodwill to put the past behind us."

The TNI commander also agreed with a request from Ruak that
East Timor's army should join the regular consultative meetings
between TNI and United Nations peace keepers, Martins said.

East Timorese prosecutors have indicted at least 23 Indonesian
military officers including former armed forces commander Gen.
(ret) Wiranto for crimes against humanity in connection with the
1999 violence.

Indonesia has refused to hand them over.

At the Dili Joint Commission talks which ended Saturday,
Hassan and East Timor's foreign minister Jose Ramos-Horta signed
a statement about cooperation in trade, investment,
transportation, telecommunications, social and educational
matters.

They also agreed to consider establishing an "institutional
framework" to help find a solution to the issue of Indonesian
assets left behind in East Timor.

The statement said they also explored the idea of establishing
a free trade zone straddling their land border, which has almost
been delineated.

"Both parties emphasized the importance of good relations
between the two countries in solving the residual issues as well
as in facing the rapid development and changes in international
relations...," the statement said.

The first Joint Commission meeting took place in October 2002.