U.S. Senator to visit E. Timor

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)