---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- ANTARA, July 14 1999 E. Timor: Horta Ready To Accept Defeat Canberra, July 14 (ANTARA) - Anti-integration East Timorese figure Ramos Horta said here Tuesday he and his associates in the East Timor National Resistance Council (CNRT) were ready to accept autonomy within Indonesia if voters in the August direct ballot in the former Portuguese colony chose the option. "We will work with the prointegration group to create condition conducive for the speedy implementation of the autonomy package," Horta told members of the ational Press Club here. He said the DARE II reconciliation meeting between the pro and anti integration grous held recently in Jakarta has stressed that whatever the outcome of the direct ballot would be, neither side would feel defeated. On the occasion, Horta also praised Indonesia's President BJ Habibie for having adopted a policy of offering two options to solve the prolonged East Timor problem. As the final solution of the 23-year East Timor question, the Indonesian government announced in January that the East Timorese people should choose to remain integrated with Indonesia with wide-ranging autonomy or separate from Indonesia to become an independent nation. "I should thank President BJ Habibie for making the decision (on the two options)," he said, adding that the ballot would note Habibie's statemanship in history if the consultation ran fairly and peacefully. (U.LCB-01/NN07/INT-AJM-23:45/ri1/00:02) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 20 Jul 1999 jam 04:42:30 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
