Subject: SCMP: Analysis: Peace accord 'PR exercise
for military'
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 10:36:56 -0400
From: "John M. Miller" <fbp@igc.apc.org>Received from Joyo:
South China Morning Post Thursday April 22 1999
East Timor Sunny ceremony hides scepticism that guns will be silenced for long
ANALYSIS by JENNY GRANT in Jakarta
On the face of it, the signing ceremony was a polite event in the sunny backyard of
Bishop Carlos Belo's house.
Armed forces chief General Wiranto sat between Bishop Belo and East Timor's other
Catholic bishop, Basilio da Nascimento, as if blessed by their presence.
But the stressed looks on the faces of pro-independence figures Manuel Carrascalao and
Liandro Isaac said something was wrong. Both men are still living under protective police
custody, fearing for their lives after weekend attacks.
"It is not a legitimate accord, it looks very artificial. It was forced according
to a schedule that was well established," said Mr Carrascalao's brother Mario, former
governor of East Timor.
The peace accord signed by East Timor's conflicting parties appears to have been forced
through to smooth the way for talks in New York between Indonesian and Portuguese foreign
ministers. It is also an attempt to save face for General Wiranto, who tried during a
whirlwind 18-hour visit to East Timor to mop up the weekend disaster his military helped
create.
Signatories were only briefly consulted on the text of the five-point document.
Church sources said signatories only found out about the accord on Tuesday. "They
had one day and one night to decide whether to sign. There was no time to discuss,"
the source said.
Resistance leader Xanana Gusmao signed the document in Jakarta, where he is under house
arrest. The document bearing his signature was flown down to Dili in a military Hercules
plane.
Gusmao, long cynical after a series of broken promises, does not believe the truce will
hold.
"It looks like a public relations exercise for the military. Xanana signed because
it was strategically important to be involved," a source close to him said.
Even the pro-integration militias have little faith in it. Only minutes after the peace
deal was signed, the militias reneged.
"I don't trust it because the Falintil guerillas have not signed. I will not give
up my fight," said Eurico Guterres, commander of the Aitarak militia based in Dili.
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