Tripartite talks back special body for East Timor

Tripartite talks back special body for East Timor

JAKARTA (JP): Senior officials of Indonesia, Portugal and the
United Nations (UN) endorsed on Friday the formation of a
consultative body in East Timor to facilitate peace and
cooperation following the Aug. 30 ballot on the troubled
territory's future.

"The Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) endorsed the agreement
reached this week at a UN-organized meeting of the East Timorese
leaders... which included the formation of an East Timorese
consultative body aimed at facilitating cooperation and
reconciliation in the aftermath of the popular consultation in
East Timor," UN special envoy Jamsheed Marker told a news
conference after completing the two-day tripartite talks at the
foreign ministry.

Marker said the body would be made up of 25 representatives
but no names were disclosed. He said "some details of this
particular agreement will be issued later".

The ministry's Director General for Political Affairs Nugroho
Wisnumurti told the same news conference the consultative
commission was established by a meeting of East Timorese leaders
on Wednesday.

"This is something that was initiated by the UN and the idea
was endorsed in New York at the previous SOM," Nugroho said,
adding the commission would start work on Aug. 31.

Marker said SOM would reconvene in Lisbon on Aug. 26 "in order
to continue the discussion on the remaining stages of the
process".

He added that "there is no question that the UN presence (in
East Timor) will continue" after the August ballot.

"There may be an element of restructuring in the sense that we
would need less electoral personnel but we would continue the
presence of political officers," Marker said.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has proposed increasing the
number of UN civilian police and military liaison officers to
about 710 in the province.

Indonesia and Portugal agreed in May that the UN would send in
contingents of unarmed civilian police and electoral officers to
supervise the vote while leaving security to the Indonesian
police.

Marker also said the UN "took seriously" the alleged military
support for pro-Jakarta militias which have been blamed for most
of the violence in the former Portuguese colony since January,
when the government first announced it might grant East Timor
independence if its people rejected an autonomy offer.

"We brought it to the attention of the Indonesian delegation,
measures have been taken and I discussed this matter at the
highest level. And I am satisfied that measures are being taken
to correct the situation."

He said that "there should be an absence of threats, violence
and intimidation from whichever quarter" in East Timor.

Marker said the SOM was both positive and constructive and the
participants "had some very productive discussions on the
situation after the August ballot".

Marker's statement came as the Indonesian Military replaced
the head of the East Timor Military Command, Col. Tono Suratman.

Tono, who was replaced by Col. Muhamad Noer Muis, was promoted
to brigadier general. Some news agency reports quoted military
sources as saying he was likely to be appointed deputy commander
of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus).

Meanwhile, Nugroho said Indonesia would not let jailed East
Timorese leader Alexandre Xanana Gusmao personally take part in
the two-week campaign beginning on Saturday despite international
pressure.

"Campaigning can be done in many ways, including by speaking
to the public through television. So, there are so many ways that
he can fully participate in the campaign even under the present
circumstances," he said.

Xanana, who is serving a 20-year jail term for armed
rebellion, has said he will campaign through television and radio
broadcasts. (byg/33)