UN envoy ends three-day trip to East Timor

JAKARTA (JP): The United Nations special envoy on East Timor, Jamsheed Marker, completed his three-day trip to the province yesterday, leaving with a promise to seek a fair solution to the disputed region's sovereignty.

Marker said before his flight back to Jakarta from the province's capital Dili that he would help the conflicting parties settle the dispute without having to lose face.

"Since East Timor remains an international issue, I came here to gather as much information as possible to be reported to the UN secretary-general," Marker told reporters at Comoro airport in Dili.

Marker was accompanied by his wife, Arnaz, and another UN official, F.M. Vadrall.

It was Marker's first official visit to the former Portuguese colony since he was appointed by the new UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan his special envoy on East Timor.

Indonesia and Portugal have agreed to solve their long-held quarrel over the territory's sovereignty through the mediation of the UN secretary-general.

While in the province, the former Pakistani ambassador to the UN met with Governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares, chairman of the province's legislative body Antonio Freitas Parada, East Timor military commander Col. Mahidin Simbolon, Dili bishop and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Carlos Belo and newly inducted Baucau Bishop Basilio do Nascimento.

Marker said he saw that the province had, generally speaking, made good economic progress. He also hailed the Indonesian government's handling of human rights violations in the territory.

"I don't have the competence to make conclusions or comparisons regarding development here yet," he said.

East Timor, a Portuguese colony for more than 400 years, was integrated into Indonesia in 1976.

A demonstration was staged by a group of 200 anti-integration youths Sunday to coincide with Marker's trip. The police arrested 48 people after the clash with security personnel that left 11 injured.

Marker regretted the incident, saying that he should not have received such a harsh welcome. "I came here to gather information which will help the UN solve the dispute," he said.

The envoy also expressed his concern over the demonstration to Belo yesterday in their second meeting in three days. Belo quoted Marker as saying that initiating violent actions that left casualties was not the way to solve the East Timor issue.

The province's police chief, Col. Jusuf Mucharam, said yesterday that three of the demonstrators had been released, and pledged to pursue legal proceedings against the rest.

"So far I have no idea whether there was any subversive motive behind the riot. It seems they acted in a purely criminal manner," he said.

Marker's departure left hundreds of students of the state-run East Timor University disappointed because Marker canceled a meeting with them.

Police said the students dispersed after waiting for more than four hours. (33/amd)