---------------------------------------------------------- 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 9 1999 Autonomy ballot: Jakarta Optimistic Pro-Autonomy Camp Would Win Jakarta, Aug 9 (ANTARA)-An official of the Foreign Affairs Ministry on Monday expressed optimism that most East Timorese would choose autonomy under Indonesia during the Aug 30 direct ballot in East Timor. Head of the ministry's subdirectorate for the colonization, politics and law, Hari Purwanto, said this optimism is based on the results of his talks with a number of pro-autonomy groups in East Timor, including the Forum for Unity, Democracy and Justice in East Timor (FPDK), which said that of 380,000 eligible voters who registered as of Aug 1, 193,000 are expected to vote for autonomy. "Some 187,000 others will reject autonomy," he told a press briefing held at the same time as the signing of code of conduct for the campaign by representatives of the UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) and the two rival camps in the province. Hari said the number of pro-autonomy voters will even increase as many of those who registered at the last minute were pro-autonomy. He said the pro-autonomy camp is strong in the districts of Los Palos, Ambeno, and Maliana, while the pro-independence camp is strong in Dili, Manatuto and Elmera. Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman, Sulaiman Abdulmanan, who also attended the press briefing on the East Timor issue, said that as of Sunday, the final day of registration, 446,256 East Timorese have registered in and outside East Timor for the ballot. Some 12,680 of them registered in 13 cities outside East Timor, Sulaiman said. He noted that many East Timorese living far from the five cities where the UNAMET opened registration centers--Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Ujungpandang--have failed to register due to the lack of time and funds. He also reiterated that the Indonesian government will accept the final outcome of the ballot--whatever it may be-- so long as the ballot is conducted fairly, transparently and democratically. "But if the ballot process does not run fairly, and Indonesia observers see fraud, we will probably reject the result of the ballot," he said. Asked about the number of foreign observers who have arrived in East Timor ahead of the ballot, he said at least 150, including those from the Carter Center, have been given the accreditation. "They must be neutral and they must respect the code of conduct issued by the UNAMET," he said, defining "observer" as anyone-- Indonesian or foreigner--who has been accredited by the UN or the Electoral Commission. He also called on Indonesian observers to be neutral and show their goodwill and nationalistic feeling to make the ballot a success. "They must not be biased, including (members of) 'Kiper', an observerorganization formed by(thenon-governmental organization) Solidamor," Sulaiman said. None of observers will be allowed to conduct investigation, he noted, adding that they can only observe tha ballot process. Alliance For Special Autonomy Region Meanwhile in Dili, 15 political parties on Monday declared that they are forming an alliance which supports autonomy for East Timor. "The integration (of East Timor with Indonesia) should be maintained and preserved," tha alliance's chairman, Armindo Soares mariano, said. "The PDI-P is included in the alliance," Armindo said, adding that these parties have reported about the alliance to their respective central executive boards. He also expressed optimism that the local people who have cast their votes in the June 7 polls would support the alliance and accept autonomy. Armindo said his camp will conduct a door-to-door and man-to-man campaign on the autonomy package offered by the Indonesian government. "It would be paradoxical if we still think of separating (from Indonesia) in a world that is getting united," he said. Among those who attended the declaration of the alliance were East Timor Governor Jose Abilio Osorio Soares, chief of the Wira Dharma military command Col Tono Suratman, head of the provincial prosecutor's office J Jafar, and some local figures. "This is the precise opportunity to support the government and assure the people that autonomy is the best choice for (East Timor)," he said. (U.NN03/DLI-02/KPF-01/DLI-01/nn04/15:07/int-cl/16:29/nn02/17:00 /TB06) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 16 Aug 1999 jam 06:32:58 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
