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)