INDONESIA: XANANA GUSMAO MEETS PORTUGUESE DIPLOMAT

(5 Feb 1999) English/Nat
The jailed East Timorese separatist leader Xanana Gusmao has met a Portuguese diplomat to discuss Indonesia's announcement that it is willing to grant independence to the former Portuguese colony.
Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975, a few months after the departure of Portugal's colonial administration, and annexed it the following year.
Indonesia has since come under worldwide condemnation for the invasion and the United Nations still considers Portugal as East Timor's official administering power.
The prison meeting comes on the eve of talks at the U-N in New York that could bring further progress towards a solution for the troubled territory.
Ana Gomes is the first Portuguese diplomat to be based in Indonesia for 24 years.
Her meeting with Xanana Gusmao is one of her most important engagements since she took up office less than a week ago.
The two talked for two and a half hours in a room at Cipinang Prison, where Gusmao has been held since 1992.
With a new round of talks due this weekend at the U-N in New York, the meeting will have provided important last minute information for the Portuguese Foreign Minister.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Of course we discussed everything that is important for East Timor and for this very important stage of the process in order to find a solution for East Timor that will meet the will of the East Timorese people."
SUPER CAPTION: Ana Gomes, Portuguese Diplomat
The jailed East Timorese rebel leader is seen as a key player in negotiations over the future of the former Portuguese colony, and in securing a peaceful solution to the East Timor problem.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We talked about essentially the formation of the commission for stability in East Timor and how to avoid a civil war, how to avoid violence in East Timor, and how Portugal can help us in this aspect."
SUPER CATION: Xanana Gusmao, East Timorese Resistance Leader
Xanana Gusmao will move to house arrest next week as the Indonesian government said it would offer special detention for the rebel leader.
Both Gusmao and Gomes said that their meeting had been fruitful.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Well I believe all the meetings and all the contacts I have been making here since I arrived in Indonesia have been very useful, and will certainly help my government understand more clearly what is at stake, the Indonesian point of view, and I'm sure that it will all be fed into the Ministers' talks."
SUPER CAPTION: Ana Gomes, Portuguese Diplomat
Indonesia's Foreign Minister, Ali Alatas was due to leave on Friday for New York for two days of talks starting on Sunday with his Portuguese counterpart, Jaime Gama, and U-N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
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[@wonderfulmusic4012]

Timor Leste is the poorest country now from World Bank data statistics even their GDP per Capita lower after Independence

[@jossombra2270]

Viva Kayrala Xanana Gusmao

[@syifanatasya]

Wahai bangsa timur leste lirik lah kami bangsa aceh yang masih dalam pendudukan indonesia,bantu kami bangsa aceh .

[@brandnewupdate7571]

Geuchik Munir, pertama perstaun Di aceh tidak memamdang ras agama warna kulit dan lain lain kenudian dan jalankan gerakan bawa tanah yang mengunakan sala satu bahasa aceh yang semua orang paham khususnya kara kaum gerakan bahwa tanah yang tidak Di pahami oleh musuh atau penjajah dan teruskan kemudian bahasa yang Di pilih mungkin bisa menjadi bahasa national Di aceh. Persatuan lebih penting

[@aroesdi7483]

Geuchik Munir kau itu immigrants bangla dan champa kamboja dan selatan Vietnam bahasa lu aceh mirip dg champa. Tanah lu itu tanah gayo goblokk immigrants!!

[@amarbakau8589]

Ah bicara apa? Yang penting kebutuhan pokok terpenuhi

[@hanshuick8529]

Kalau dulu pemimpin Aceh di Swedia ikut berjuang seperti Xanana Gusmao mgkn ceritanya beda..!!

[@kemodrum]

provokator goblok