| Subject:
ProvJourn: Indonesia concedes E. Timor
The Providence Journal-Bulletin December
7, 1999
Sen. Reed: Indonesia concedes E. Timor
Journal Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - Fresh from a visit to
violence-torn East Timor, Sen. Jack Reed said yesterday that Indonesia has
"written off" the loss of the territory and seems unlikely to
block independence for the former Portuguese colony.
But Reed cautioned that the United
Nations has no "concentrated plan for the redevelopment" of East
Timor after the "systematic and absolutely devastating" rampage
last fall by Indonesian-backed militias opposed to independence.
Reed toured East Timor and vicinity for
several days after Thanksgiving with the Australian and United Nations
officials in charge of the force that brought peace to the island
territory after September's violent reprisals.
Reed told reporters yesterday that the
Indonesian military, which plays a powerful role in Indonesia's new
government, "appears to have basically conceded the fact that East
Timor is lost." Indonesia seized the former Portuguese colony in the
1970s.
Reed cautioned, however, that elements
opposed to independence may still be strong in neighboring areas of West
Timor the part of the island that is to remain under Indonesian rule. Reed
said it is crucial for the United Nations to develop a better intelligence
capacity in order to ensure that the anti-independence faction does not
begin to stir up problems across the border again as East Timor prepares
for independence over the coming months.
Reed also called for Congress to approve
perhaps $ 25 million for the repair of devastated homes, utilities and
public works in East Timor. The redevelopment would also be a good
assignment for the U.S. Peace Corps, Reed said.
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