---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- ANTARA, October 5, 1999 E Timor: Howard Should Be Responsible For Destruction-Keating Canberra, Oct 5 (ANTARA)- Former Australian prime minister Paul Keating asked his successor Prime Minister John Howard to assume responsibility for destruction and killing in East Timor. "He has forced the transition government in Indonesia to formulate the most difficult policy (on East Timor)," Keating told Australian ABC Radio here Tuesday. Keating stressed that Howard shoul be responsible for destruction and killings in East Timor due to Australia's bad foreign affairs policy since Vietnam war. Howard tried to force President BJ Habibie--who has never made a policy on East Timor-- to issue such a policy last February when Habibie's position was weak, Keating said. People have finally seen that East Timor is destroyed. "But we have been asked to say 'look-the outcome of Howard's work is so fine", Keating said. Howard claimed that a change in attitude and in the Indonesian government policy indeed has brought benefit to the East Timorese people. "But if it goes wrong it is not my fault", he said. The fact that after the the Aug 30 ballot in East Timor militia were allowed to behave in a violent and uncontrolled way was not an error made by the Australian government, he said. In a Labour Party conference in New South Wales on Sunday, Keating accused Howard of meddling to far in the East Timor issue in an effort to gain political support within the country. Howard on the next day said Keating's statement reflected his predecessor's disappointment when Howard defeated Keating in the 1996 general election. Former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans shared Keating's view. (U/LCB01/NN02/11:10/INT-TA/nn-03/TB05) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 8 Oct 1999 jam 07:41:09 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
