Visiting Lisbon mayor meets with jailed Xanana, Megawati

Visiting Lisbon mayor meets with jailed Xanana, Megawati

JAKARTA (JP): Visiting Lisbon mayor Jaoa Soares met with
jailed East Timorese separatist leader Jose Alexandre Xanana
Gusmao on Thursday as senior Portuguese and Indonesian diplomats
met in New York to discuss the details of the United Nations
proposal for the future of East Timor.

Soares, the son of former president Mario Soares, also met
with Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, opposition leader
Megawati Soekarnoputri and Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso during his
visit.

"I am here to meet and to make my acquaintance with Xanana. It is
a great honor that has been given to me, that (is why) I have
made time to come," he said after meeting with Xanana, as quoted
by AFP news agency.

According to foreign ministry officials, Alatas briefed
Soares, who arrived here on Monday, on Indonesia's proposal for
autonomy for and the latest developments in the country's 27th
province.

The one-hour meeting between the Portuguese Socialist Party
senior member and Xanana was with the government's consent, as
prisoners' guests are usually allowed to visit the Cipinang
prison only on Wednesday and Sunday.

Xanana, like other political prisoners, is relatively free to
receive guests, most of them East Timorese youths.

There was no explanation about Soares' meeting with Megawati.
In an interview with news weekly Tempo, published this week,
Xanana said he had pinned great hopes on Megawati. He pointed out
that Megawati, if elected next year as the country's fourth
president, would be able to bring total change to the tiny
province, if not actually grant it independence.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General of political
affairs Nugroho Wisnumurti on Thursday met with his Portuguese
counterpart Fernando Neves at the United Nations Headquarters.

AFP quoted diplomatic sources at the United Nations as saying
the UN was pushing for Xanana's release, because it believed his
presence would help resolve the 18-year-old East Timor problem.

Indonesia and Portugal were due to respond to UN autonomy
proposals for East Timor, its spokesman Fred Eckhard said
Wednesday.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, through his envoy Jamsheed
Marker, submitted the proposal last month. There has been no
public statement over the proposal from Kofi's office.

"Things are moving in a generally positive direction," another
official said.

East Timor was integrated into Indonesia in 1976, but the UN
has never recognized it and still considers Portugal as the
administrating power. The two countries have negotiated since
1983 without much result. The resignation of president Soeharto
in May was deemed as the beginning of a new era in efforts to
solve the issue of East Timor's sovereignty.

President B.J. Habibie assured Dili Bishop Carlos Filipe
Ximenes Belo in June that he would withdraw troops from the
province and concede special autonomy to the province.

The withdrawal of more than 1,000 soldiers in July and August
however did not convince the international press and
international groups, which have reported the arrival of more
troops since.

Local activists have made similar charges. Portugal insisted
on the presence of independent observers to watch the withdrawal.
The Armed Forces has repeatedly denied all the allegations.

Belo has called for Xanana's release, saying this is a key
factor in the search for a solution to the East Timor problem.
(prb)