Subject: DPA: Hurdles remain in E Timor dispute:
Annan
From: "John M. Miller" <fbp@igc.apc.org>Deutsche Presse-Agentur
February 11, 1999
Hurdles remain in East Timor sovereignty dispute: Annan New York
"Major hurdles" remain in the resolution of the sovereignty dispute in East
Timor and more negotiations are needed to arrive at an acceptable solution, U.N. chief
Kofi Annan said Thursday.
The international community will have to make "major efforts" to help parties
in the dispute to reach a solution, Annan said.
"While I am pleased with the progress made, I would want to be a bit more cautious
about celebrating yet," he said. "But I think we are moving in the right
direction."
Foreign ministers Ali Alatas of Indonesia and Jaime Gama of Portugal met in New York on
Monday and accepted a blue-print for "wide-ranging" autonomy in East Timor, a
former Portuguese colony now occupied by Indonesia. The blue-print was worked out under
the mediation of Annan's envoy, Jamsheed Marker.
But Jakarta has also offered the East Timorese independence in case the autonomy plan
is rejected by the majority of the East Timorese. Indonesia's legistative body will begin
discussing the independence plan in June and may grant East Timor the status its leaders
have been calling for.
While the blue-print was adopted, the ministers and Marker warned that major
differences have remained. The blue-print is now being studied by Jakarta and Lisbon and
East Timorese leaders.
Senior officials from the two countries are scheduled to meet again on March 9 in New
York, and they will be joined by the foreign ministers the following day to apparently
wrap up the negotiations. dpa tn ma
Back to February Menu
Main Postings Menu
Postings of Human Rights Violations in Timor |
