U.S. Senator to visit E. Timor

JAKARTA (JP): Visiting U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell yesterday held an exchange of views with Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas concerning East Timor and human rights.

"We just had a general exchange of views. I don't want to go into specifics," Senator Pell told journalists after meeting with Alatas here.

"Human rights was obviously a topic of discussion and I hope that some solutions can eventually be found in the difficult relationship between Portugal and Indonesia," he said.

Pell arrived here on Wednesday and is scheduled to depart for East Timor later today before returning home tomorrow.

Earlier yesterday, he also paid a courtesy call on President Soeharto.

Senator Pell is known to many as a vocal critic of East Timor's integration into Indonesia in 1976 and of the human rights record there.

The Republican from the state of Rhode Island is known to represent a constituency with a large community of Portuguese descendants.

When asked by journalists, Pell acknowledged that the issue of East Timor has been a "scratchy" problem, irritating not only relations between Jakarta and Washington, but also "Indonesia and the world for the past few years".

"The important thing is to make sure that human rights are maintained at the highest possible level," he said.

Asked what he thought could be a solution to this issue, Pell suggested the possibility of a referendum.

"I say the best case might be to have a referendum some time," he replied.

While in Dili, Pell is scheduled to meet Governor Abilio Soares and military commander Col. Mahidin Simbolon.

"I look forward to learning a little bit about how they view this situation," he said.

About his trip here, Pell expressed his gratitude for the hospitality and openness shown to him not only by Minister Alatas but also President Soeharto. (mds)