Jakarta – East Timorese leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao insisted on Thursday that overcoming the territory's complex social and economic problems was his most immediate priority, and not the convening of a tribunal to try past human rights abusers.
Speaking to journalists after a meeting with President qAbdurrahman Wahid, Gusmao said that such a tribunal was, "not a priority for me." Nevertheless, he quickly stressed that such a stance was his own personal position and "not the position of all East Timorese".
Gusmao defended his view, saying that East Timor is "dealing with a difficult process, political transition and other issues". Accompanied by his Australian wife Kirsty Sword and his baby son, Gusmao said that during his meeting with Abdurrahman the two leaders discussed the political situation in East Timor and the likelihood of further scholarships for East Timorese students to study at Indonesian institutions.
The question of an international tribunal has been a major cause of controversy since the former province was released from Indonesia.
After the historic ballot in East Timor in August 1999, pro-integration militias went on a violent rampage, allegedly assisted by elements of the Indonesia military.
Several senior military officers and officials are suspected of involvement in the violence. The Indonesian government, however, has rejected the possibility of an international tribunal and insisted that suspects should be tried under Indonesian laws.
As a result of the wave of terror that hit the territory, hundreds of thousands of people fled across the border into Indonesia.
There are still an estimated 120,000 East Timorese in East Nusa Tenggara and efforts to repatriate them have been sluggish, particularly since the suspension of activities by international agencies following an incident in Atambua last September, which resulted in the deaths of three UN aid workers.
In Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, United Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor (UNTAET) Chief of Staff N. Parameswaran said on Thursday that it was necessary for a UN security team to first assess the situation before operations could resume.
Parameswaran pointed out that since the Atambua incident he had visited the area seven times, noting that the situation had been improving. Parameswaran also stressed that success of the repatriation efforts had in the past, and will in the future, depend on the cooperation of the Indonesian side.
"I always said that it would be impossible for us to send even one refugee home without the help of Indonesia, including the government and military," he said. "So far we have the best working relationship with the government of Indonesia," he remarked.
International Organization of Migration staff member Christopher Gascon said that in the past four months the organization had succeeded in repatriating some 12,000 people. They are continuing their operation.