---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- August 13, 1999 East Timor Security Talks Resume After Albright Warning JAKARTA (AP)--Talks to prevent violence following East Timor's Aug. 30 independence referendum entered their final day on Friday, after the U.S. demanded that Indonesian officials stop predicting civil war would erupt if the territory opts for independence. Officials from the United Nations, Indonesia and Portugal are trying to hammer out security arrangements in East Timor, which has been wracked by continuing violence leading up to the vote. East Timorese will choose between autonomy within Indonesia or full independence in the U.N.-supervised ballot. Indonesian forces and anti-independence militiamen killed two students Wednesday, and U.N. officials said that Indonesia must continue to improve security in the province. In a surprise policy change in January, Indonesia decided to grant East Timor a plebiscite to determine its future. An agreement signed in May by Indonesia and Portugal, the former colonial master, gave the U.N. responsibility for organizing the vote and put Indonesia in charge of security. In recent days, some Indonesian officials have warned that East Timor could slide into civil war if its people vote for independence. In Washington on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright described such comments as "intimidation or worse." Independence activists say the majority of East Timor's 800,000 people want to break away from Indonesia, which invaded in 1975. They accuse the military of supporting and arming anti-independence militias in a campaign to derail the vote by terrorizing civilians and attacking U.N. staff. Meanwhile the Indonesian military replaced its commander in East Timor on Thursday. The replacement of Col. Tono Suratman by Col. Muhammad Noer Muis was a routine staff reshuffle, a military spokesman said. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 13 Aug 1999 jam 07:48:11 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
