| Subject: Indon
president, E Timorese leaders launch new era of ties
Indonesian president, East Timorese leaders launch new era of ties JAKARTA, Nov 30 (AFP) - Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid and East Timorese leaders on Tuesday agreed to turn the page on two decades of bloodshed and launch a new era of ties between the would-be nation and its former occupier. "We start now a new relationship between East Timor and Indonesia," said East Timorese independence leader Xanana Gusmao, widely expected to be the first leader of a new state of East Timor, after holding historic talks with Wahid. "We are committed to do our best to create a cooperative, friendly and good relationship between the two countries," he told a press conference. In the first talks held between the two sides since Indonesia relinquished control of East Timor in October handing it over to a UN administration, Gusmao was accompanied by independence campaigners, Nobel laureate Jose Ramos Horta and Mari Alkatiri. The deputy leader of the Falintil resistance fighters Taur Matan Ruak, visiting Jakarta for the first time, was also present. "It is a good thing for us to begin a relationship between the two (nations,)" Wahid told the same press conference. "The two countries can now continue to look into the future and forget the past," Wahid added. In a goodwill gesture, Wahid said he had agreed to a plea from Gusmao, who was once Indonesia's public enemy number one, to release East Timorese political prisoners still held in Indonesian jails. But he added "of course the release of the prisoners would take several more days," saying it would have to wait for his return from an official visit to China. He leaves for Beijing on Wednesday. Wahid also pledged Jakarta's assistance in rebuilding East Timor, including sending in building materials but he gave no further details. Indonesia invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975 and annexed it the following year. On August 30 the people there voted overwhelmingly for independence from Indonesia in a UN-held ballot on August 30. But the announcement of the ballot results on September 4 was followed by a week of unbridled violence by military-backed militias that left most East Timorese cities devastated and caused half its population to flee their homes. "I asked the (Indonesian) president and the government to pay attention to the needs in East Timor in terms of refugees, helping us in terms of ... the vast need of our people," Gusmao said. The two leaders also discussed the issue of more than 260,000 refugees who fled or were deported to West Timor during the post-ballot violence. Indonesian military authorities and the multinational force in East Timor on Monday agreed to speed up the repatriation of refugees, especially those crossing the land border. Wahid added he will also try to meet a demand from Gusmao for the resumption of air links between Dili, the capital of East Timor, and Denpasar, in Indonesia's island of Bali. "I will talk to the companies. If they can do so, I said I will ask them to open the flights once a week from Bali to Dili," Wahid said. He added that if no such flights could be organised, Indonesian military planes could assume the weekly link for the time being. Gusmao on Monday said: "What happened in the past must not be a reason not to improve our relationship (with Indonesia) in the future." But he also said that any legal pursuit of those responsible for violence in East Timor should be left to the "right instances." Wahid said he did not "subscribe to the view that we must retaliate or compensate," for past deeds. Earlier Tuesday, Gusmao visited political prisoners at the Cipinang jail, where he spent most of the six years served of his 20-year term imposed for plotting against the state and illegal possession of weapons. He also met with members of a special team investigating the violence in East Timor and armed forces chief Admiral Widodo Adisucipto. Back to November Menu Note: For those who would like to fax "the powers that be" - CallCenter V3.5.8, is a Native 32-bit Voice Telephony software application integrated with fax and data communications... and it's free of charge! Download from http://www.v3inc.com/ |