Subject: East Timorese to Hold "Reconciliation
Dialogue"
Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1998 10:09:23 +0100 (BST)
From: tapol@gn.apc.org (TAPOL)East Timorese to hold "reconciliation dialogue"
Sat 29 Aug 98 - 06:16 GMT
JAKARTA, Aug 29 (AFP) - Activists in the troubled territory of East Timor plan a
"reconciliation dialogue" involving representatives of all factions there to
provide input to ongoing peace efforts, a report said Saturday.
The head of the organising committee, Fransisco Kalbuadi, was quoted by the state
Antara news agency as saying that the dialogue, to be held in a Catholic seminary in Dare,
some 10 kilometres (six miles) from the East Timor capital of Dili, on September 10-11.
"We hope that the Dare seminary will become a witness of history, of a
reconciliation of East Timorese leaders for the sake of a just and peaceful solution to
the question of East Timor that will be acceptable by all and internationally
acceptable," Kalbuadi said.
He expressed hope that all groupings within the population in East Timor would be
represented at the talks.
The results of the talks would be conveyed to Jakarta, Lisbon and the UN secretary
general by the territory's two Roman catholic bishops -- Nobel laureate Carlos Ximenes
Felipe Belo of the Dili diocese and Basillio Nascimento of the Baucau diocese.
One member of the team preparing the dialogue, lawyer Aniceto Guterres Lopes, was also
quoted by Antara as saying that both bishops would act as mediators in the dialogue.
"The two East Timorese bishops, will act as mediator in the dialogue but will not
orientate or intervene in the dialogue," said Lopes who heads the private East
Timorese Foundation of Law, Justice and Human Rights.
Indonesia annexed the former Portuguese colony of East Timor in 1976 but The United
Nations and most states still view Lisbon as the official administrator of the territory
The UN secretary general has sponsored talks between Portugual and Indonesia in an
effort to seek a peaceful solution to the East Timor problem.
The new Indonesian government of Presidetn B.J. Habibie has offered to grant
wide-ranging autonomy for East Timor but many East Timorese have pressed for a referendum
for self-determination there.
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign 111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey
CR7 8HW, UK Phone: 0181 771-2904 Fax: 0181 653-0322 email: tapol@gn.apc.org Campaigning to
expose human rights violations in Indonesia, East Timor, West Papua and Aceh
Back to August Menu
Back to Main Postings Menu |
