---------------------------------------------------------- FREE for JOIN Indonesia Daily News Online via EMAIL: go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ++ Pemilu Online: http://www.indo-news.com/pemilu/ ++ ---------------------------------------------------------- Antara, 8 Juni 1999 US Cites Positive Signs in Indonesia Polls Washington, June 8 (ANTARA/AFP) - The State Department on Monday cited positive preliminary signs in Indonesia's national elections, saying the freest polls there in four decades appeared to be going smoothly. Cautioning that it was still too early to make a definitive assesment, the State Department said US officials were impressed "by the large number of political parties permitted to campaign freely" and by extensive and open election-related media coverage. "The Indonesian government allowed domestic and foreign observers, and the Indonesia army remained neutral," the official said, reading from a prepared statement. "Preliminary reports indicate that (the election) appears to be going smoothly." "We now await the assesment of Indonesian and international monitors of the voting and vote tabulation," he said. The statement echoed an earlier assesment in jakarta by international and local observers, according to state-run media. "Indonesians have enthusiastically displayed their commitment to participate in the election. I think so far things have been running well without deviations," said former US president Jimmy Carter, who is heading up a team of 100 foreign observers. Two US nonprofit groups, the Carter Center and National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, have deployed 100 observers across the country for the elections. Some 400 other foreign monitors were also taking part along with 500,000 local observers. Some 112 million voters had registered for the polls, the first since the fall of president Soeharto in May 1998, following bloody riots that left about 1,000 people dead. A year of turbulence followed, which increased fears that the polls too would be marked by violence. (U.nn-04/12:25/nn-03/8/06/99 13:03/TB06) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 11 Jun 1999 jam 13:40:44 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
