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Washington urged to seek 'active' role in solving East Timor conflict

Source
Lusa - January 24, 1997

Washington – US republican congressman Frank Wolf has urged President Bill Clinton to meet East Timors 1996 Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate Bishop D. Ximenes Belo when he visits the US at the invitation of Yale University. Wolf told also a press conference on Thursday that Washington should use its good relations with Jakarta to "actively seek" a solution for the East Timor conflict. He advised the White House to appoint a special envoy to hold talks with Indonesia, Portugal, Germany, East Timorese representatives as well as with the United Nations (UN) on a peaceful solution for the territorys conflict. Wolf said that Germany should be included because of the strong ties between Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Indonesia. The US congressman is a member of the Human Rights Group of the US Congress and was recently in East Timor for a three-day visit where he said to have found the population living in a situation of "terror". Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and annexed it one year later but the United Nations still regards Portugal as the territorys administering power. Lusa/Fim

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