---------------------------------------------------------- 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 ---------------------------------------------------------- ANTARA, AUG 6 1999 Presidency: Horta Optimistic Habibie, Megawati Will Abide By The May 5 Agreement New York, Aug 6 (ANTARA) - A campaigner for East Timor's independence abroad, Ramos Horta, praised two president nominees, BJ Habibie and Megawati Soekarnoputri, and expressed his optimism that whoever will be chosen as the president, he or she will abide by and implement the New York Agreement (on East Timor) on May 5. "I like Habibie and I am fond of Megawati. If I were a member of the Indonesian parliament, I will choose both of them. For sure, whoever is chosen later, I am optimistic that the new Indonesian government will abide by the international commitment it has agreed to, "Horta told ANTARA here on Thursday afternoon local time. Asked who will mostly be able to settle the East Timor case, he said both Habibie and Megawati have a clear position on the matter. Habibie, who is said to be a "pragmatic statesman and democrat," has made a big historical step by giving a free choice for the East Timorese people to keep on joining with Indonesia or be a new country. "Habibie, with his courage and statesmenship, has given a right to the East Timorese people to decide their own future," he said. While Megawati, chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party- Struggle <PDI-P>, according to Horta, has changed her stance on the East Timor case. At the first, he added, Megawati wants the region to be still within Indonesia, which later raised concern that she would not acknowledge the May 5 agreement if she will later be chosen as the country's president. But at recent political speech, she clearly said that she would accept whatever the result of the autonomy ballot, whether East Timor would still be part of Indonesia or separate. According to this pro-independence figure, Megawati's support toward the May 5 agreement has isolated hardliners in the Indonesian military. "When Megawati clearly and firmly stated her support on the New York agreement, this has isolated parties wishing Mega would refuse the may 5 agreement if she is elected as the new president," he said. He however expressed his concern on the maneuver launched by these hardliner groups in the run up to the ballot set to be held on August 30. "And that is why the period until August 30 is the most critical condition. And, it is necessary to give warning to TNI to abide by the agreement," he added. Horta also expressed his hope that the ballot will be held on schedule on August 30 and said that he would abide by whatever the results of the ballot, including if the East Timorese people want to still be part of Indonesia. But, if the East Timorese refuse autonomy and chose to be independent, he hopes the United Nations will take over the region for three years as a transition period before it proclaim its independence. He also admitted he is now trying hard to identify the wealth of former president Soeharto, particularly wealth allegedly kept abroad, and to freeze it. "If the court wants, the wealth could be used to pay the compensation for victims of the cruelty," he said. (T.LNY-01/nn04/10:48/INT-TA/ri3/14:27/TB04) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 12 Aug 1999 jam 09:57:02 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
