Horta pledges to honor result of free E.Timor vote 05:12 p.m Aug 04, 1999 Eastern

By Mathieu Claise

NEW YORK, Aug 4 (Reuters) - East Timor independence campaigner Jose Ramos-Horta said on Wednesday he will endorse the results of a fair ballot on the future of the disputed territory even if a majority favoured remaining part of Indonesia.

``If, after the ballot, the U.N secretary general announces the result and says that the vote was free and democratic, I will be the first to step forward and endorse the vote, whatever the result is,'' he told Reuters.

The 1996 Nobel Peace Prize winner was speaking at a New York office where potential voters living in North America registered for the Aug. 30 ballot, which is to decide whether East Timor should have wide-ranging autonomy under continued Indonesian rule or move toward independence.

``Those East Timorese who are on the other side, who are working with the Indonesian side ... can be assured that after the ballot, I will be with them. We have a solemn commitment that there will be no persecution, no reprisals. We will pursue a policy of national reconciliation, of inclusion, of power-sharing,'' he said.

Indonesia's 1976 annexation of East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, was not recognised by the international community. The decision to hold a vote on the territory's future was the result of a U.N-sponsored agreement on May 5 between Indonesia and Portugal.

The government of Indonesian President B.J. Habibie had said in January it would rescind its annexation of East Timor if voters rejected autonomy.

Nine East Timorese showed up at the New York registration centre over a period of about two hours on Wednesday morning. Registration is continuing through Sunday.

The registration office, near United Nations headquarters, was the only one in North America. Similar centres were set up in other countries with a sizable East Timorese population, including Indonesia, Australia, Macao, Mozambique and Portugal.

Ramos-Horta said he registered in Sydney, Australia, where he would also vote if Indonesia continued to prevent him from returning to East Timor before the balloting.

Constancio Pinto, a representative of the National Council of Timorese Resistance, told reporters, ``This a very important moment, this is not a normal election, I have been waiting for this moment for 24 years.''

The United Nations declared the registration process in East Timor a success.

Ian Martin, head of the U.N. Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), which is organising the ballot, said 410,556 voters had been registered up to Monday evening, exceeding initial estimates of 300,000 to 400,000 eligible voters.

Alluding to the security situation in the territory, where pro-Indonesian militia have been blamed for violence, Ramos-Horta said, ``I hope that the vote actually takes place Aug. 30. The situation on the ground remains serious. Conditions are not all right for the vote to take place now, but we still have two or three weeks ahead of us.''

Indonesia's 1976 annexation of East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, was not recognised by the international community. The decision to hold a vote on the territory's future was the result of a U.N-sponsored agreement on May 5 between Indonesia and Portugal.

The government of Indonesian President B.J. Habibie had said in January it would rescind its annexation of East Timor if voters rejected autonomy.

Nine East Timorese showed up at the New York registration centre over a period of about two hours on Wednesday morning. Registration is continuing through Sunday.

The registration office, near United Nations headquarters, was the only one in North America. Similar centres were set up in other countries with a sizable East Timorese population, including Indonesia, Australia, Macao, Mozambique and Portugal.

Ramos-Horta said he registered in Sydney, Australia, where he would also vote if Indonesia continued to prevent him from returning to East Timor before the balloting.

Constancio Pinto, a representative of the National Council of Timorese Resistance, told reporters, ``This a very important moment, this is not a normal election, I have been waiting for this moment for 24 years.''

The United Nations declared the registration process in East Timor a success.

Ian Martin, head of the U.N. Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), which is organising the ballot, said 410,556 voters had been registered up to Monday evening, exceeding initial estimates of 300,000 to 400,000 eligible voters.

Alluding to the security situation in the territory, where pro-Indonesian militia have been blamed for violence, Ramos-Horta said, ``I hope that the vote actually takes place Aug. 30. The situation on the ground remains serious. Conditions are not all right for the vote to take place now, but we still have two or three weeks ahead of us.''

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